Indonesian cement output up

Indonesia’s cement consumption in the first quarter of 2004 reached 6.652Mt, which was a 9.7 per cent increase compared to the 6.064Mt in the corresponding period of 2003. But at the same time, Indonesia’s cement exports during the same period dropped by 16.7 per cent from 1.771Mt (2003) to 1.475Mt.

PT Semen Baturaja is quaoted as saying that  the domestic cement industry is currently focusing on the domestic market, as prices are more favourable that those on the export market. Baturaja has been concentrating on the domestic market, while other producers like PT Semen Gresik has started limiting its exports and is now focussing on the domestic market, an executive of the state cement producer said.

Data obtained from the Association of Indonesian Cement Producers, total domestic cement consumption and exports in the first quarter of 2004 reached 8.128Mt, up by 3.7 precent compared to the 7.835Mt in last year’s corresponding period.

Domestic cement consumption in March 22004 reached 2.270Mt, up by 8.1 per cent compared to the 2.1Mt in March 2003. In the January-February 2004 period, domestic cement consumption increased by 10.6 per cent from 3.964Mt (Jan-Feb 2003) to 4.381Mt. However exports dropped by 17.5 per cent from 1.196Mt to 986,877t, while exports in March reached only 488,906t, compared to the 574,809t in March 2003.

In March 2004, cement sales in Java island, which is the biggest consumer of the cement in the country increased in March 2003 by 4.8 pct compared from 1.297 million tons to 1.359 million tons.

In the first quarter of 2004, cement consumption in Java island reached 3.987Mt, up by 8.6 per cent compared to the 3.669Mt in the first quarter of 2003.

Domestic cement turnover of Semen Gresik group in March 2004 reached 1.038Mt, up by 18.8 per cent compared to the 873.978t in March 2003. In the first quarter of 2004, the cement turnover of Semen Gresik reached 3.021Mt, up by 17.2 per cent compared to the 2.578Mt in the January-March 2003 period.  Gresik’s exports in the first quarter of 2004 reached only 398,737t, a drop of 0.4 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2003.