Colombian cement demand stable in September

Cement dispatches in September 2018 increased by 0.8 per cent YoY to 1.031Mt from 1.023Mt, according to DANE, the country’s statistics office.

Demand growth was led by Córdoba, where it rose by 18.3 per cent YoY, followed by Meta (+16.1 per cent) and Nariño (+12.8 per cent). Cesar and Risaralda saw consumption rise by around 5.8 per cent while Boyacá noted a 4.6 per cent increase. Antioquia also saw dispatches up, by 3.4 per cent while in Valle del Cauca and Bolivar the market expanded by around two per cent. Atlantico noted a 1.5 per cent advance. Deliveries in Bogotá slipped by 0.3 per cent. The largest market contraction was reported in Huila, where dispatches were down 15.1 per cent.

Output from Colombia’s cement plants rose 1.083Mt, up 5.6 per cent YoY from 1.026 in September 2017.

January-September 2018
Between January-September 2018, total demand in the domestic market slipped by 1.1 per cent to 8.889Mt when compared with the year-ago period.

Cement production in the Latin American country in 9M18 remained largely stable at 9.161Mt.