Azores cement sales up 7.4 per cent

Cement sales in Portugal’s autonomous region of the Azores Islands registered a 7.4 per cent year-on-year increase to a total 26,400t in November 2004, data from the Azores regional statistics office SREA showed on January 14, 2005.  The number of the construction permits in the region also registered a 10.1 per cent year-on-year rise in the period January to November 2004, mainly due to the increase in the volumes of cement sales in Azores. 

The island of Pico showed the highest 18.4 per cent year-on-year rise in terms of number of building permits in the 12-month period ended November 2004. Pico was followed by Terceira island and Sao Miguel island with a year-on-year increase of 12.2 per cent and 9.9 per cent, respectively. The island of Faial showed a fall of 3.6 per cent year-on-year in the number of building permits for the 12-month period ended November 2004.