Argentine cement market contracts 18% in Nov 2018

Argentina’s cement consumption fell 17.8 per cent to 970,248t in November 2018 when compared with 1.18Mt in November 2017. When compared with the previous month, the decline was 6.7 per cent, according to the country’s cement association, AFCP. In addition, Argentine cement producers saw their exports slip by 13.3 per cent YoY to 10,208t in November 2018.

Output from Argentine cement plants fell 16.6 per cent YoY and 6.5 per cent MoM to 980,226t. Of this, 970,058t was delivered to customers in the home market. To meet the country’s total demand, domestic output was supplemented with 190t of imports, which dwindled from 16,548t in November 2017.

For the first 11 months of 2018, demand in the Argentine market slipped 1.1 per cent to 11.003Mt from 11.12Mt in 11M17. Imports into Argentina fell by 15.2 per cent YoY to 69,926t.

Production by the country’s cement manufacturers edged down by 0.9 per cent to 11.004Mt in 11M18 from 11.109Mt in the year-ago period.