Indonesia first-quarter sales down 3.2%

Indonesian cement consumption fell by 3.2 per cent YoY in the January-March period, latest figures from the Indonesia Cement Association (ASI) show.

Over the first three months of the year, consumption dropped to 13.63Mt compared to 14.08Mt in 1Q14. Year to date consumption was down in Java (-1.3 per cent), Sumatra (-3.9 per cent), Sulawesi (-2.5 per cent), Kalimantan (-1.4 per cent) and Nusa Tenggara Timur (-6.5 per cent). However, a gain was recorded in Malukus and Irian Jaya (+7.7 per cent) and demand was up slightly in Central Java by 0.6 per cent.

First quarter cement exports totalled 109,424t (versus 14,955t in the comparative period of last year), all undertaken by Semen Indonesia group companies Padang and Tonasa. No clinker exports were reported during the period.

Domestic consumption in March 2015 was down 6.4 per cent to 4.6Mt compared to 4.9Mt in the same month of last year.