Cement sales in Peru totalled 346,506t in October 2004, a 0.1 per cent decrease from sales of 346,826t in the same period in 2003, according to a report by Asocem, the Peruvian association of cement producers. It was the third monthly drop in sales registered in the year so far. The last one was recorded in July, when sales fell by 5.8 per cent. Accumulated cement sales, however, increased by 3.4 per cent in the first ten months of 2004 compared with the same period a year earlier. According to Susana Meza, analyst at Centura brokerage house, the 0.1 per cent drop in sales registered in October 2004 can be attributed to weaker sales by Cementos Lima and Cemento Andino, which together have more than 50 per cent of the Peruvian cement market. Sales of Cementos Lima fell by one per cent in October while sales of Cemento Andino dropped by 1.8 per cent. Despite of weaker sales in October 2004, Ms Meza has forecast an increase of between three per cent and 3.2 per cent in overall cement sales in 2004.   Cementos Lima, the only Peruvian cement exporter, is expected to increase exports by 20 per cent in 2004 compared with the previous year.   Published under Cement News