French cement consumption expected to recover in 2021

Cement consumption in France fell 7.5 per cent to an estimated 17.891Mt in 2020 with demand in 2021 forecast at 19.039Mt, up 6.5 per cent YoY, according to CIC Market Solutions.

Ready-mix concrete production in FY20 contracted 9.1 per cent to 36.994Mm³ when expressed in constant working days. In the first quarter of 2021, output saw a 23 per cent YoY jump but edged up 1.1 per cent when compared with the 1Q19.

Cement producers such as Lafarge France and Ciments Français announced a price hike of nearly EUR5/t for 2021 as well as an environmental innovation contribution (PFIE) of around EUR2.20/t, up significantly from EUR0.94/t in 2020.