Colombian dispatches slip 2% in May

Grey cement dispatches in Colombia edged down 1.6 per cent in May 2018 to 0.984Mt from 0.999Mt in May 2017, according to the country’s statistics office, DANE.

Cement sales were particularly strong in Valle del Cauca, where they rose by 8.3 per cent. However, in Bogotá they declined by 7.5 per cent and in Bolívar by 17.2 per cent. In Antioquia, another key domestic market, dispatches fell by 3.2 per cent.

Of the 0.984Mt total, around 51.3 per cent was delivered to the retail market, while ready-mix concrete companies accounted for an additional 24.1 per cent and construction companies and contractors 19.5 per cent.

Cement production decreased 1.5 per cent YoY to 1.007Mt from 1.022Mt in May 2017.

In the first five months of 2018, grey cement sales fell 0.8 per cent to 4.862Mt. While in Valle del Cauca, dispatches rose by 9.1 per cent over the period, Bogotá saw a 10.2 per cent drop.

Output slipped one per cent to 4.971Mt when compared with the previous year’s equivalent period.