Brazil cement market expands 8% in July

Brazilian cement sales increased 8.1 per cent YoY to 4.953Mt in July 2019, according to the country’s cement association, SNIC.

The market expanded most in the south, advancing by 11.2 per cent to 827,000t, followed by the central-west by 10.9 per cent to 579,000t. The southeast, Brazil’s largest market, expanded by 9.1 per cent to 2.406Mt YoY, while the country’s smallest market, the north, saw offtake expand by 7.8 per cent to 221,000t. In the northeast, sales edged up by 1.4 per cent to 920,000t.

Domestic sales per business day, which takes into account the number of days worked, increased 1.2 per cent MoM, 3.8 per cent YoY and 2.5 per cent YtD.

Exports in July 2019 rose to 12,000t from 8000t in July 2018.

January-July 2019
In the January-July 2019 period cumulative sales reached 30.8Mt, up 2.8 per cent when compared with the 7M18.
Exports edged up from 60,000t in the first seven months of 2018 to 62,000t in January-July 2019.

“As expected, the second half started with a better performance. The imminent approval of the Social Security Reform, the performance of the real estate construction market and the resumption of the construction of the Minha Casa Minha Vida program contributed significantly to the result,” according to Paulo Camillo Penna, president of SNIC.

He also highlighted the key role of the real estate market: “The number of financing for new construction continues on an upward trajectory. On the other hand, we cannot compromise housing financing with consumption incentive policies, with risks of curbing the resumption of construction and consequently of cement consumption.”