Saudi Arabia: Cement sales of companies operating in Saudi Arabia recorded an increase of 11.5% in July 2017. Sales rose to 3.49Mt in July 2017, compared to 3.13Mt during July 2016. Cement production in Saudi Arabia grew by 5% year-on-year to 3.37Mt in July 2017 from 3.2Mt, according to Yamama Cement Company.
Southern Province Cement topped the sales list with 409,000t sold in July 2017, although this was 5.32% less than the 432,000t that it sold in July 2016. Yamama Cement was the second most prolific seller, with a year-on-year sales growth of 17.5% to 369,000t from 314,000t in July 2016. Meanwhile, Tabuk Cement registered the lowest sales of 61,000t in July 2017, a 17.6% fall from 74,000t in the year-ago period.
In June 2017 cement companies’ sales in Saudi Arabia dropped by 40.6% year-on-year to 2.08Mt from 3.5Mt in June 2016. This is likely due to the earlier timing of Ramadan combined with temperatures of up to 45°C (113°F), both of which will have significantly reduced demand for building materials.
