Peruvian cement market contracts 2% in May

Domestic cement dispatches in Peru slipped two per cent YoY in May 2024 to 0.958Mt from 0.977Mt in May 2023, according to the country's cement association, ASOCEM. OF this total, 0.87Mt was supplied by ASOCEM members.

Cement production by local cement manufacturers was down four per cent to 0.887Mt in May 2024 when compared with 0.928Mt in the year-ago period. Clinker output fell by 10 per cent to 0.72Mt from 0.803Mt over the same period.

External trade
Peru's cement producers found little, if any, solace in the export markets as they saw exports contract by 22 per cent to 10,800t in May 2024 from 13,900t in the equivalent month of the previous year. However, clinker exports surged by 98 per cent YoY to 70,400t in May 2024 from 35,600t.

Cement imports declined 73 per cent YoY to 12,000t in May 2024 from 44,000t. Vietnam accounted for 76 per cent of cement imports with product entering Peru via Callao. The CIF price via the port reached US$73/t, down from US$76 in the year-ago period. Other imports entered Peru from Chile through the Tacna terminal. The CIF price for these imports reached US$126/t, up from US$106/t in May 2023.

Peru also imported 28,000t of clinker from Vietnam, down 15 per cent YoY from 33,000t. Imported clinker entered the country via Callao port at a CIF price of US$60/t. In May 2023 the CIF price reached US$69/t with product imported via Matarani.