Bolivia expects to double cement imports in 2013

State-owned Insumos Bolivia (IB) expects to double the import of Peruvian Yura cement this year from 1.3m bags in 2012 to 2.5m bags, or 5.9Mt, in 2013.

IB director general, Oscar Sandy, said there are a number of possible agreements in the pipeline that would require substantial volumes of cement. Firstly, IB hopes to conclude a deal with the Misicuni company to construct a dam in Cochabamba. The project would require 150,000 bags in the first half of the year. In addition, within the framework of the Social Housing Plan, the government will be requesting 1.8m bags. “Now, if we consolidate both interinstitutional agreements, we would be importing 2.5m bags of Peruvian cement,” he explained.

He added that the imported volue would be marketed mainly in La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz as these regions have been in need of additional cement in the past few years. In 2011, Bolivia imported 1.01Mt of Peruvian cement of which nearly half (485,269t) was sold in La Paz with a further third in Cochabamba and a fifth in Santa Cruz.