Cement sales rise 7% in 9 months

MANILA, Philippines - Cement sales went up by seven percent in the January to September period from a year ago on increased construction activity, the Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (CeMAP) said.

Data from CeMAP showed that total cement sales reached 14.942 million metric tons (MT) in the first nine months of the year up from 13.947 million MT sold in the same period last year.

For the third quarter alone, cement sales rose by 9.2 percent to 4.805 million MT compared to the previous year’s 4.401 million MT.

CeMAP president Ernesto Ordonez said in a text message yesterday that total cement sales increased due to three main reasons: increased government spending for infrastructure, increase in business confidence and generally strong economic growth.

He said earlier that higher cement sales are seen for this year compared to a year ago as construction activity is expected to pick up.

Cement manufacturers are already making the necessary preparations to ensure supply.

Lafarge Cement Services (Philippines) Inc. president Don Lee said the company is expected to add one million MT to its capacity this year.

By next year, the firm intends to add 600,000 MT, while another one million MT will be added to its capacity by 2015.

Lafarge produces a total of 7.7 million MT of cement per year.

Cemex, another cement firm, likewise intends to increase its capacity by next year.

Full-year 2012 cement sales reached 18.4 million MT, up from the 15.6 million MT in the previous year.