Czech cement production down 23%
Cement production in the Czech Republic decreased by 23 percent year-on-year to 3.64Mt last year and exports of building materials sank by nearly a third to 438,461t, according to the Association of Cement Producers’ latest data.
"The fall in cement production was caused by lower demand for concrete and products of concrete. Almost all projects financed from private resources were stopped or delayed in 2009," Jan Hrozek, chairman of the board of cement producer Ceskomoravsky cement, told CTK.
Cement consumption declined by a third in housing construction but civil engineering registered only a slight fall because large transport projects were being completed near Prague and in Moravia.
Hrozek expects a moderate fall for 2010. Demand for real estate for housing and business activities will influence cement production in a significant way, he said.
"Accessibility of financing, in particular the willingness of banks to finance projects of developer companies, will have a large influence on construction as a whole. Infrastructure projects will directly depend on drawing of money from EU structural funds," Hrozek added.
Published under Cement News
