Spain sees demand drop 4% in June but exports surge 24%

Spanish cement consumption in the first half of 2023 edged up by 0.3 per cent YoY to 7,539,907t, according to the country’s cement association, Oficemen.

In June 2023 alone, cement demand in the Iberian country fell 4.3 per cent to 1,319,112t when compared with June 2022.

“The evolution of the semester has closed with ‘zero’ growth in line with our forecasts at the beginning of the year. The confluence of three electoral processes, which will end with the holding of the general elections this coming Sunday, is an unusual circumstance that has affected not only investments in public works but also at the business level. An environment in which decision-making had already slowed down by itself due to the current international situation”, said Oficemen Managing Director, Aniceto Zaragoza.

However, exports increased by 24.2 per cent to 549,062t in June 2023 when compared with June 2022. As a result, export volumes for the 1H23 saw a reduction by only 2.3 per cent, almost five percentage points less than in the 5M23. In the 1H23 exports totalled 2,839,941t.