Displaying items by tag: exports

Pakistan: The All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) recorded a 5.7% year-on-year decline in overall cement sales in the first quarter of the 2022 financial year to 12.8Mt from 13.6Mt in the corresponding period of the 2021 financial year. Intensified local construction activity increased domestic cement sales by 4% to 11.3Mt/yr from 10.9Mt/yr.

Costs increased – notably the price of coal, which more than tripled year-on-year to US$210/t from US$68/t. Its transport costs from South Africa more than doubled to US$30/t from US$11/t. Currency effects exacerbated the rise in costs. The Dawn newspaper has reported that exports fell by 44% in the period to 1.55Mt from 2.74Mt. Afghanistan had previously received 606,000t of Pakistani cement exports, 22% of the total. This figure fell by 36% year-on-year to 389,000t, 25% of the first-quarter 2021 total, due to political unrest and increased transport costs.

Vietnam: Vietnam National Cement Association (VNCA) members sold 77.5Mt of cement in the first nine months of 2021, up by 3.5% year-on-year. Vietnamese cement exports rose by 19% over the same period, to 31.9Mt. This corresponds to 41% of total sales. State-owned Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation (VICEM) exported 14.5Mt of cement, 45% of national cement exports. Viet Nam News has reported that the country ended the nine-month period with 3.6Mt of cement and clinker in inventory.

Bolivia: Fábrica Nacional de Cemento (FANCESA) has received an order for 8000t of clinker from Chile. The Correo del Sur newspaper has reported that the company previously delivered 1000t of clinker to Chile-based Cbb’s grinding operations in the country. The producer says that it is in the process of securing a supply contract for 80,000t/yr of clinker with its Chilean customer.

Algeria: Saoura Ciment has begun sulphate-resistant cement production at its Saoura cement plant near Béchar. The Groupe des Ciments d'Algérie (GICA) subsidiary made the move as part of efforts to diversify its production. It plans to supply the product to public works projects in the region, where its resistance to high soil salinity will prove useful. The cement will be available from all four of the plant’s commercial outlets in and around Bechér.

In August 2021, Saoura Ciment produced 180,000t of cement. It exported 25,000t to Mali, Mauritania and Niger during the month.

Vietnam: Member of the Vietnam Cement Association produced 70.7Mt of cement and clinker in the first eight months of 2021, up by 4% year-on-year from 27.2Mt in the corresponding period of 2020. Its exports rose by 12% to 27.2Mt. Viet Nam News has reported that the main importers of Vietnamese cement and clinker were China, the Philippines and Bangladesh. During the period, domestic demand fell by 5% to 43.5Mt.

Jamaica: Caribbean Cement says that it will export an additional 200,000t/yr of cement after it completes the 40% capacity expansion of its 1.0Mt/yr Rockfort cement plant to 1.4Mt/yr. In 2020, the producer exported 1580t of cement, all to North America, at a total value of US$156,000.

CBR News has reported that general manager Yago Castro said “We believe the right way is to invest in local manufacturing and make it bigger, solid and more powerful. This is why we’ve been increasing our production capacity over the past three to four years. Our team is always working on improving the supply to the market, quality of our products and service.”

The Jamaica Observer newspaper reported on 5 September 2021 that regular three-day lockdowns begun in Jamaica in August 2021 to stem the spread of Covid-19 have slowed Caribbean Cement’s distribution.

Vietnam: SSI Securities says that the local cement sector faces a ‘huge’ risk due to its over-dependence on export markets, particularly its reliance on China. The securities company reports that cement shipments have risen due to China’s current investment policies on limiting the output of its own cement plants and increasing imports from foreign countries, according to the Viet Nam News newspaper. China was the largest buyer of Vietnamese cement from 2017 to 2019. In 2020 China scooped up 57% of Vietnam’s combined cement and clinker exports. This represented 22% of the country’s total sales.

However, SSI Securities has warned that exports to China are unlikely to grow as demand stabilises. It expects a fall of 20 – 25% in the short to medium term as China stops its infrastructure stimulus packages. The brokerage company also noted that the sector’s second biggest export destination, the Philippines, has accused Vietnam of dumping cement.

Belarus: The Belarus Architecture and Construction Ministry recorded a 25% year-on-year increase in Belarus’ first-half cement exports in 2021. Business World Magazine News has reported that the value of cement exports in the period rose by 38%. The ministry said that challenges included the on-going coronavirus pandemic and restrictions, bad winter weather and anti-dumping measures in neighbouring Ukraine.

The state is working to enhance Belarusian cement producers’ presence across Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) markets. This includes the establishment of a trading house with Kazakhstan to double the export of building materials to that country.

Belarus: Krichevcementnoshifer exported US$2.47m-worth of cement in the first quarter of 2020, up by 41% year-on-year from US$1.75m-worth in the corresponding period of 2019. Belta News has reported that the company, whose 0.6Mt/yr integrated plant at Krichev, Mogilev region serves the eastern Belarusian and Russian markets, made total sales of US$15.4m, up by 22% year-on-year from US$12.6m. Krichevcementnoshifer CEO Vladimir Korchevsky said, “We consistently ship 5000t of cement to consumers every day. April 2020 saw shipments reach 6000t/day. We can conclude that, despite the current difficulties associated with the coronavirus pandemic, the demand for our products has not decreased.”

In April 2020 Krichevcementnoshifer completed construction of an elevated track for the unloading of bulk materials from railway cars, reducing unloading time.

Peru: Total cement volumes in March 2020 were 0.42Mt, down by 51% year-on-year from 0.86Mt in March 2019 and down by 51% month-on-month from 0.85Mt in February 2020. Clinker volumes fell by 51% to 0.35Mt from 0.71Mt in March 2019 – down by 55% month-on-month from 0.78Mt in 2020.

Peru’s March cement exports were 6200t, down by 46% year-on-year from 11,400Mt in March 2019 and 55% month-on-month from 13,700Mt in February 2020. Imports in March 2020 were 102,000t, down by 3.6% year-on-year from 106,000t and up by 2150% month-on-month from 5000Mt.

Domestic demand fell by 47% year-on-year and 48% month-on-month to 0.49Mt, from 0.92Mt and 0.94Mt respectively.