Displaying items by tag: demand

Iraq: The Ministry of Industry and Minerals plans to establish new cement plants with a total production capacity of 52Mt/yr, according to Iraqi News. Ministry spokesperson Doha Al-Jabouri said Iraq’s existing plants currently produce 32Mt/yr. The strategy responds to growing domestic demand and ongoing construction projects and aims to meet future requirements through integrated plant development.

Prime minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani launched six new cement plants in Muthanna province in April 2025 worth US$1.171bn. Al-Sudani said the goal is to meet local demand and end cement imports.

India: Cement production rose by 7% year-on-year to 39.9Mt in April 2025, up from 37.4Mt in April 2024, according to data from eight core companies compiled by Thurro Research.

Despite the annual growth, April output fell 17% from March 2025’s peak of 47.9Mt due to a typical slowdown in construction activity following fiscal year-end completions.

Analysts attributed April 2025’s strong figure to residual fourth-quarter demand and pre-monsoon construction schedules. Output is expected to moderate during the monsoon, with a rebound forecast in the second half of the 2026 financial year.

The Gambia: The Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment (MoTIE) has confirmed that Portland cement is now readily available, and that the market has returned to a stable state after recent disruptions, according to The Voice Gambia newspaper. According to the MoTIE, the shortages resulted from re-negotiations of international supply contracts following the imposition of new US tariffs.

MoTIE confirmed that cement inventories are as follows: Jah Multi Industries holds 54,457t, Salam Cement 59,000t and Gacem 21,000t. Scheduled shipments in June 2025 include 117,600t for Jah Multi Industries on two separate dates, 30,000t for Gacem across two shipments and 38,000t for Salam Cement on 30 June 2025. MoTIE said the government is confident that cement supply will meet market demand without disruption.

India: Management guidance for Indian cement demand growth in the 2026 financial year for ‘most companies’ in the sector was 6 – 7% year-on-year.

In the 2025 financial year, UltraTech Cement and JK Cement raised their cement sales volumes by 17% and 15% year-on-year respectively, due to to demand recovery and the effects of new acquisitions. Ambuja Cement’s volumes grew by 13%, while Dalmia Cement Bharat’s fell by 2% and Ramco Cements’ by 5%.

The Business Standard newspaper has reported that the all-India cement capacity ended the 2025 financial year at 655Mt/yr, up by 5% year-on-year. 60Mt/yr-worth of new cement production capacity is due to come online later in the 2026 financial year, which would increase that figure by a further 9%.

Japan: Domestic cement sales in April 2025 fell by 5% year-on-year to 2.6Mt, according to the Japan Cement Association. This marked the 32nd consecutive monthly decline, attributed to reduced construction hours under overtime restrictions. The Tohoku and Chugoku regions recorded the steepest falls, with labour shortages and rising construction costs driving the decline in Chugoku. Domestic demand has been in decline for six consecutive years, and continues to decline due to a combination of factors including the chronic labour shortage at construction sites, rising construction costs and the longer construction period due to the introduction of a full two-day weekend system at construction sites in recent years.

The Gambia: Jah Oil has announced the imminent arrival of a 53,000t cement shipment in Banjul by 4 June 2025 to address the national shortage and maintain a new, lower price, according to the Foroyaa newspaper. Managing director Momodou Hydara said the supply will stabilise the market, with smaller 4000t shipments already underway to meet immediate demand.

Hydara denied internal issues, calling the disruption “a normal phenomenon that can happen to any business.” He said “Our company has sufficient capacity to continue meeting national demand.” He blamed global disruptions, citing President Trump’s tariffs on Vietnamese cement that redirected US demand to Egypt and Türkiye, Jah Oil’s main suppliers. “All of a sudden, the supplier couldn't catch up with that competition and informed us about a huge increase in price,” Hydara said.

He added that Jah Oil alerted the Gambian government early but received no immediate response. He said the company later explained that global pricing pressures and the Dalasi’s depreciation against the US Dollar made the existing price unsustainable.

Vietnam: The government has reduced cement clinker export tax from 10% to 5%, effective from 19 May 2025 to the end of 2026. The 10% rate will be reinstated on 1 January 2027.

The Ministry of Finance said the temporary measure is an effort to help local manufacturers adjust production and reduce their inventory amid falling demand. Only 77% of Vietnam’s 122Mt/yr cement capacity is currently in use, with 34 out of 92 lines suspending operations in 2024. Cement and clinker exports fell by 5% to 29.7Mt in 2024, with revenues down by 14% year-on-year to US$1.14bn. Clinker exports alone were valued at US$301m.

Kyrgyzstan: The Cabinet of Ministers has lifted the temporary ban on cement imports to meet growing construction demand and ‘ensure uninterrupted site operations’, according to Central Asia News.

The Cabinet said “Cancellation of a temporary ban on import of cement will support market competition, prevent shortage and stabilise prices for construction materials.”

The ban was originally put in place for six months in early April 2025.

South Korea: Domestic cement shipments dropped by 25% year-on-year in January and February 2025 to 4.45Mt, with March expected to show a similar decline, according to the Korea Cement Association. If this trend continues, the Dong-a Ilbo newspaper reports that annual demand could fall to the 30Mt range, comparable to levels seen in the 1980s. 2024’s shipment volumes reached 44.2Mt, and a drop of more than 10% in 2025 would see this figure drop below the 40Mt threshold, not seen since 1991. The slump has been attributed to persistent structural issues in the construction sector, including a backlog of unsold regional housing.

A Korea Cement Association official said “The role of cement as a core pillar of national industrial growth has faded, leaving only a sense of crisis. This severe demand collapse is likely to persist for the foreseeable future.”

Myanmar: Authorities are working to expedite the reopening of cement plants in Kyaukse, Mandalay Region, following the earthquake in late March 2025, according to the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper. Kyaukse District administrator U Kaung Myat Naing said that one plant expects to resume supplying 100,000 bags of cement per day by mid-May 2025. The reopening of cement plants will help to meet the growing demand in the country.