Global Cement News

Kazakhstan: Steppe Cement increased its full-year sales by 1% year-on-year to US$73m in 2020 from US$72m in 2019. Its cement sales fell by 4% to 1.6Mt from 1.7Mt, and its exports rose by 30% to 0.2Mt. Domestic demand rose by 6% to 9.4Mt from 8.9Mt. Steppe Cement’s market share fell to 15%.

Kazakhstan’s overall cement exports rose by 25% in 2020 to 2.0Mt from 1.6Mt. Imports fell by 14% to 0.6Mt from 0.7Mt.

Syria: The General Company for Cement and Building Materials in Hama central province (Hama Cement) recorded cement sales in excess of 1Mt in 2020. Clinker sales were 0.7Mt. Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) has reported that the total value of sales was US$96m. The year included the beginning of concrete paving slab production at the company’s plant.

The company said that 2021’s tasks consisted of improving the technical specifications of the product and producing new cement types, modernising equipment, developing workers’ skills and diversifying investments.

Algeria: Groupe des Ciments d'Algérie (GICA) subsidiaries Société des Ciments de Hamma Bouziane (SCHB) and Société des Ciments de Ain El Kebira (SCAEK) are planning to export 50,000t of cement to West Africa. The L’Expression newspaper has reported that SCHB will supply 35,000t of the cement, and SCAEK will supply the remainder. SCHB produced 0.8Mt of cement in 2020.

Indonesia: Semen Indonesia subsidiary Semen Padang’s cement and clinker exports totalled 1.6Mt in 2020. Indonesia Government News has reported that the company said that it exported 0.2Mt of cement and 1.4Mt of clinker throughout the year. The main markets for its products were Bangladesh, China, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Australia, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

Semen Indonesia group senior export sales manager Fifit Abriyanto said, “There are two types of cement that we export, namely ordinary Portland cement (OPC) Type I grade 52.5N and OPC Type I grade 42.5N."

Nigeria: The National Association of Block Moulders of Nigeria (NABMON) has warned that its members are struggling to continue their trade due to the high price of cement. The Daily Independent newspaper has attributed the price rise to post-coronavirus shutdown maintenance challenges in the cement industry, increased exports, logistical disruptions and an unseasonably high demand for cement. The association is lobbying government to put in place and enforce competition laws to help return the price to a more ‘stable’ level.