Argentina's Cement Industry Records Lowest December Shipments in Four Years

The Argentine cement industry faced a challenging end to 2023. According to a report released by the Portland Cement Manufacturers Association (AFCP), the total cement shipments in 2023 amounted to 12.557 million tons, marking a 3.2% decrease compared to the total volume achieved in 2022.

In December 2023, the cement shipments totaled 816,254 tons, which was 12.9% less than the same month in the previous year and 20.4% below the levels of November. This made December 2023 the worst in the last four years and the second lowest in the last six years, only surpassed by December 2019 when 744,000 tons were shipped.

Comparatively, December was the worst month of the year, followed by February with 900,000 tons and January with 965,000 tons. A similar trend was observed in 2019, where the last month was also the weakest. On the other hand, the best month of 2023 was August, with 1.2 million tons dispatched.

Of the total shipments in December, 808,987 tons were destined for the domestic market (a 13.26% year-on-year decrease) and 7,267 tons for export (a 71.71% increase compared to December 2022). Since there were no cement imports (as in the last 60 months), the internal consumption was equal to the local dispatch.

For the annual cumulative, 12.495 million tons were sent to the local market, showing a decrease of 3.05%, and 61,530 tons were exported, a 29.74% reduction compared to 2022.

Source:
Puntal