Jamaica: Caribbean Cement says that it produced a record 0.94Mt of cement in 2020 due to market demand. This has been attributed to capital investment, positive government policies in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the company’s own reaction and the ‘expertise’ of its employees. It said it did not experience an overall loss of productive time due to closures related to the public health situation. Heavy rainfall, inconsistent power supplies and disruptions to mining in the third quarter of 2020 prevented the cement producer from surpassing 1Mt for the year.

“The market responded opposite to what might have been expected given the pandemic. Instead of slowing down, construction grew, and we kept in step with our customers by meeting their demand consistently. We will continue to ramp up production as the market grows,” said Yago Castro, General Manager of Caribbean Cement. He added, “The Government of Jamaica assessed the situation well and allowed critical sectors to continue operating once certain protocols were followed. Prioritising health, while keeping economic goals in mind, have mitigated against the negative impact on our sector.”