Venezuela’s new Minister of Industry, José David Cabello, has taken to Twitter to announce that three new cement production lines with a capacity of 3.2 million tpa are under construction. According to Cabello, Venezuela’s cement industry comprises 20 cement production lines with a total capacity of 9.09 million tpa. There are plans to increase cement production in the country by around 3.65 million tpa over the next couple of years. In other tweets, Cabello stated that cement production remained stable and that some US$850 million was being invested in expanding the sector’s production capacity.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appointed José David Cabello as the new Minister of Industry at the end of March, succeeding General Wilmer Barrientos. The former Minister of Industry recently stated that cement production in the country increased by 12% in 1Q14.
Cementos Pacasmayo receives the first equipment shipments for its new Piura cement plant, while the company’s phosphate project receives approval for an environmental impact study.
According to Venezuelan Minister of Industry, Wilmer Barrientos, cement production grew by 12% in the country in 1Q14, as the government continues to focus on ways to improve the sector’s performance in line with domestic demand.
Production of grey cement increased by 10.2% y/y in Colombia, according to statistics released by DANE. Domestic sales volumes also improved by 11.7% y/y during the month.
Cement dispatches increased in Peru in the first two months of 2014, while the country’s manufacturing, construction and mining sectors continued to grow in January.