Displaying items by tag: demand

Senegal: The country’s cement sector recorded a slowdown in August 2025, according to provisional figures from the Directorate of Forecasting and Economic Studies (Dpee), cited by the National Agency for Statistics and Demography (Ansd). Cement production fell by 14% month-on-month following several months of growth, reflecting weaker domestic and external demand. The decline was driven largely by a 24% drop in local sales, linked to a slowdown in construction activity and inventory adjustments. Exports also eased, falling by 8% from July 2025.

Despite the monthly setback, the sector maintained positive momentum year-on-year. Production in August 2025 was 10% higher than in August 2024, supported by strong export growth of 44% as regional demand remained firm. Local sales posted a modest increase of 0.9% compared to August 2025.

Zimbabwe: The government has relaxed regulations so that more cement can be imported into Zimbabwe. This aims to address cement shortages experienced recently due to a national construction boom, according to the Herald Zimbabwe newspaper. Minister of Skills Audit and Development, Professor Paul Mavima, said that cement prices will also decline as a result.

Historically, construction activity peaks between April and November, just ahead of the country’s rainy season, but demand in 2025, driven by both home building and commercial construction, has been described as ‘incomparable’ to previous cycles by dealers.
Zimbabwe’s cement industry has an installed production capacity of about 2.6Mt/yr, although output has been inconsistent due to ageing equipment and fuel shortages. While the country primarily imports cement from neighbouring Zambia, imports have dropped sharply, squeezing external supply just as domestic need accelerated.

Indonesia: Indocement said that it has maintained a solid performance through the first nine months of 2025, despite a slowdown in the national cement market. Data from the Indonesian Cement Association (ASI) shows that overall cement demand fell by 3% year-on-year to September 2025, driven by a 10% decline in bulk cement sales, while bagged cement volumes remained largely stable, down by 0.1%.

Indocement’s total cement and clinker sales reached 14.4Mt, representing a 2% year-on-year decrease. Domestic sales dropped by 4% to 14Mt, but exports increased by 124% to 423,000t.

“This positive performance demonstrates Indocement’s business resilience amid challenging market pressures. We continue to focus on maintaining cost efficiency, expanding export markets and strengthening sustainability initiatives and operational innovation,” said Indocement corporate secretary Dani Handajani.

The company expects domestic cement demand to decline by about 2-3% in 2025 due to infrastructure budget cuts and limited consumer purchasing power. However, it remains optimistic about a modest recovery in 2026, forecasting around 1% growth.

South Korea: The Korea Cement Association, whose members include Sampyo Cement, Ssangyong C&E, Hanil Cement, Asia Cement, Halla Cement and Sungshin Cement, reported that domestic cement demand in 2025 is expected to reach 36.5Mt, down by 16.5% year-on-year, marking the lowest level since 1991, at 37.1Mt. Next year’s forecast indicates continued stagnation, with demand projected to decline a further 1% to around 36Mt.

According to the association, the country’s cement production peaked at 61.8Mt in 1997 before plunging to 44.6Mt during the 1998 financial crisis. Although production recovered to 56.71Mt by 2017, demand has since fallen by nearly 20Mt in just eight years.

An association official said, “While the sharp decline in domestic demand is quite shocking in numerical terms, the early 1990s were a period when the industry’s production capacity was 42.1Mt/yr, and cement domestic demand was rapidly increasing due to new town construction projects being developed in the outskirts of the Seoul metropolitan area as part of national policy. Currently, production capacity has increased to 61Mt/yr, but domestic demand is plummeting, so considering the utilisation rate, there is an enormous difference beyond simple numerical comparison.”

Cement exports rose by 52% to 4.5Mt in 2025, while for 2026, domestic demand is projected at 36Mt and exports at 3.5Mt.

Brazil: Cement sales were 6.3Mt in October 2025, up by 7% year-on-year, according to preliminary data from the National Cement Industry Union (SNIC). Between January and October 2025, cumulative sales reached 56.6Mt, marking a 3.5% increase compared to the same period in 2024. Shipments per working day averaged 252,300t, up by 5% year-on-year.

The sector’s performance reflected the contradictory macroeconomic scenario, which combined strong employment and infrastructure activity with high interest rates, rising defaults and household indebtedness.

SNIC reaffirmed its 2025 growth projection of 2-3%, supported by the continued strength of the government’s ‘Minha Casa, Minha Vida’ housing programme, which is expected to generate an additional demand of 2.5-3Mt/yr of cement, as well as continued investments in infrastructure.

Paulo Camillo Penna, president of SNIC, said “The Brazilian cement industry has a long history of acting with environmental, social and economic responsibility. Shortly after implementing the sector's mitigation roadmap in 2019, we renewed our commitment to decarbonisation with a proposal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The roadmap covers the entire cement value chain, supported by the development of alternative fuels and raw materials, energy efficiency, carbon capture, storage and use, as well as nature-based solutions. Technology and innovation play a central role, with the active participation of academia, funding agencies and the construction supply chain.”

Iraq: Operations have officially commenced at the VAN Cement Plant, according to Van Company for Industrial Investment and General Trading. The facility has a clinker production capacity of 7000t/yr and produces a range of cement types, including sulphate-resistant cement, ordinary Portland cement and CEM II. The plant will reportedly help to meet Iraq’s growing domestic demand for cement.

Jamaica: Caribbean Cement has resumed cement despatch operations at its Rockfort plant following Hurricane Melissa. The company completed safety inspections and restoration work to confirm the structural integrity of the site before restarting operations, according to Our Today news. The producer said it can meet market demand without supply chain disruptions due to its ‘strong’ inventory levels and fully stocked packing warehouses. The company currently holds over 33,000t of clinker, sufficient to produce 44,000t of cement.

Managing director Jorge Martinez said “Our ability to resume the despatch of cement so quickly after Hurricane Melissa is a testament to the strength of our safety protocols, the resilience of our operations, and the dedication of our people. By ensuring all silos and warehouses were secure and fully stocked, we are well positioned to meet Jamaica’s construction needs without interruption.”

Kenya: Cement production rose to 920,000t in August 2025, up by 1% month-on-month from 907,000t in July 2025, keeping pace with rising demand. Consumption also reached a record 907,000t, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

The rebound follows the release of US$487m by the Treasury earlier in 2025 to clear unpaid bills to contractors, which allowed hundreds of stalled road and infrastructure projects to resume. The sector had previously contracted by 3% in the quarter ending June 2025 due to budget cuts, high material costs and reduced private lending.

Spain: Cement consumption rose by 19.5% year-on-year in September 2025 to 1.49Mt, 243,000t more than in the same month of 2024, according to data from Oficemen. Cumulative growth for the first nine months reached 10%, with total consumption at 12.0Mt, 1.06Mt higher than in September 2024.

Officemen director general Aniceto Zaragoza said “Although consumption trends are very positive, it's important to put the data into context: we are still below the level necessary to adequately cover our country's public works and housing needs. According to the Bank of Spain, the current deficit is 700,000 new homes. To meet this demand, it would be necessary to reach consumption of around 20Mt/yr - the same as in 2011 - which shows that there is still clear room for growth.” Rolling-year data shows total consumption at 15.96Mt, up by 10% year-on-year. Exports fell by 8.5% in the first nine months of 2025 to 3.39Mt, with a sharp 24% drop in September 2025, while imports rose by 31% to 1.40Mt.

Egypt: The government will issue two new cement plant licences before the end of 2025 to stabilise domestic prices and boost capacity to meet growing regional demand, according to Zawya news. The plan follows a recent meeting between cement producers and industry minister Kamel El-Wazir.

An unnamed official said “The two permits are expected to be released before the end of 2025, as each licence will include its own production line.”

The two plants will reportedly add 1.5-2Mt/yr to Egypt’s cement output. National demand is projected to rise to 52Mt by the end of 2025, up from 47Mt in 2024.