Philippines Cement

Cement sales up 6% in 2013

Economy

Jan 292014

MANILA, Philippines – Cement sales grew six percent in 2013 from a year ago amid strong construction activity, the Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (CeMAP) said.

Data from the CeMAP showed total cement sales reached 19.445 million metric tons (MT) last year, up from the 18.356 million MT sold in 2012.

For the fourth quarter alone, cement sales went up 2.1 percent to 4.503 million MT compared to the 4.409 million MT in the same period in 2012.

CeMAP president Ernesto Ordoñez said in a telephone interview the growth in sales in 2013 was supported by the construction activities undertaken by both the government and private sector last year.

For 2014, he said the group expects cement sales to continue to grow.

“We see strong growth in 2014 because of continued confidence in government, which should lead to more investments in projects,” he said.

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He said the huge budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for infrastructure spending would likewise support higher cement sales this year.

More investments in mass housing, he added, will also drive higher cement sales.

Philippine Constructors Association Inc. president Augusto Manalo said earlier the construction sector is seen to post double-digit growth this year from about P380 billion in 2013.

MANILA, Philippines – Cement sales went up six percent in the first semester from a year ago due to increased construction activities, the Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (CeMAP) said. CeMAP data showed total cement sales reached 10.136 million metric tons (MT) in the January to June period, higher than the 9.546 million MT sold in the same period last year. For the second quarter alone, cement sales rose bnine percent to 5.349 million MT compared to the previous year’s 4.916 million MT. In a text message, CeMAP president Ernesto Ordonez said among the reasons for the higher sales are “government’s increased budget for infrastructure (and) continued business confidence of private sector in government resulting in increased commercial, residential and other private sector construction.” Earlier, he said higher cement sales are expected this year compared to a year ago as construction works continue to pick up. Lafarge Cement Services (Philippines), Inc. president Don Lee also said earlier that even as construction activity is seen to rise given the country’s strong economic growth, cement manufacturers are ready to provide supply. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Cement manufacturers, he said, are currently expanding their output.