Colombia’s cement dispatches stable in July

Grey cement dispatches in Colombia remained stable at 1.051Mt in July 2024, according to the country’s statistics agency, DANE. Bulk dispatches expanded by 1.9 per cent YoY, but sales of bagged cement were down 1.1 per cent when compared with the equivalent period of the previous year.

Deliveries to ready-mix concrete suppliers saw a 3.4 per cent YoY drop in July 2024, but the off-take by construction companies and contractors was up 1.5 per cent YoY. Sales to the retail sector saw a 2.6 per cent pick-up.

Domestic production declined by 5.4 per cent to 1.156Mt in July 2024 from 1.221Mt in July 2023.

January-July 2024
In the first seven months of 2024 domestic grey cement dispatches decreased by 5.6 per cent YoY to 6.94Mt from 7.349Mt in the 7M23. Shipments of bulk cement decreased by 4.7 per cent YoY while bagged dispatches were down six per cent in the 7M24.

Dispatches to construction companies contracted by 8.9 per cent YoY and those to ready-mix concrete suppliers fell 5.9 per cent YoY in the January-July 2024 period. Sales to the retail sector slipped by 2.7 per cent YoY over the same period.

In Bogotá dispatches increased by 8.7 per cent YoY while in Cundinamarca deliveries were down 6.9 per cent YoY in the 7M24. Antioquia and Valle del Cauca dispatches saw increases of three and 3.6 per cent, respectively. In Atlántico and Santander deliveries remained stable, but in Bolívar and Norte de Santander the markets contracted by 8.5 per cent when compared with the same period in 2023.