Domestic cement consumption down, export market bright

Total cement consumption at home and abroad reached 7.96 million tonnes in March, a month-on-month increase of 340,000 tonnes but the same volume year-on-year, according to the ministry’s building material department.

Domestic cement consumption reduced in March, while cement exports had growth. (Photo kinhtevadubao.vn)

In March, cement consumption in the domestic market stood at 5.56 million tonnes, a reduction of 11% year-on-year. Meanwhile, the export volume was 2.4 million tonnes, marking a growth of 30% year-on-year.

Experts attributed the difference in consumption between the two markets to lower domestic demand after Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) and higher demand in China, where cement production has temporarily stopped.

The department said in the first quarter of this year, total cement consumption at home and abroad was expected to reach 20.97 million tonnes, 15% higher than the same period last year. Of this, export volume in the first quarter stood at 7.51 million tonnes, a year-on-year surge of 28 percent.