Jamaica: Caribbean Cement could resume regional exports as early as September 2026, according to The Jamaica Observer, which said that the company is targeting the Cayman Islands and The Bahamas, as increased production restores surplus capacity. The company restarted exports to regional markets in January 2026, but later suspended planned shipments as supplies dwindled.
“With our new enhanced capacity, we are willing; we have the capacity not only to serve the entire local market, but also to export some surpluses,” said managing director Jorge Martinez during the company’s annual general meeting.
The potential regional push follows US$29m of investment across 44 capital projects during 2025. Of that amount, US$17m went towards the expansion of the kiln and US$4m towards replacing the stack. Other projects included a new tyre shredder and additional machinery. However, Martinez placed a clear limit on any expansion, saying “We are being responsible about attending and handling the local market as our first priority.”
Caribbean Cement faced challenges meeting local demand in April and May 2026. Martinez said that the company had requested supplementary cement in March 2026. However, the additional supply, including cement sourced through Cemex’s operations in the Bahamas, took weeks to arrive, during which time Caribbean Cement had halted its planned exports and redirected available cement to the domestic market.
“What we are doing is significantly increasing our safety inventories of finished products, higher warehousing capacity and getting supplementary cement if needed,” Martinez said.
