According to AFCP, its member companies dispatched just over 1 million t of Portland cement in August 2014, including exports. This is approximately 7% lower than in August 2013, but it does represent an increase on July 2014 when 967 752 t of cement was dispatched. Domestic consumption, including imports, grew from 949 904 t in July 2014 to 993 651 t in August. However, when compared with August 2013, this represents a decline of 7.2% y/y.
Peru
Cement dispatches on the national market reached 908 553 t in Peru in August 2014. The figure, which has been released by ASOCEM and relates to its member companies, is an improvement on the 845 907 t sold in July 2014. Exports also increased m/m, rising from 23 177 t to 30 083 t.
Oficemen has released the latest statistics from the Spanish cement sector, noting that domestic consumption fell by 2% y/y to 7.1 million t in the first eight months of 2014.
According to reports, work is set to begin on the Interoceanic Canal of Nicaragua this December and be completed in 2019, though no international tenders have yet been called.