Supply and Demand of International Cement Market in the First Half of 2019

India's

commerce and industry minister. In a written reply to the Indian Parliament, he said that India's cement production capacity was about 510 million tons and its production in the 2018-2019 fiscal year was 337 million tons.

      Turkey < br/>

The local cement industry needs to focus on exports rather than local consumption, said Nihat Ozdemir, president of the Turkish Cement Manufacturers Association. He made the remarks at a meeting of the Turkish Cement Manufacturers Association and the Cement Industry Employers Association hosted by Deloitte. According to Dunya, exports in the first half of 2019 increased by 46% year-on-year to $444 million, driven by exports to the United States, Ghana and Israel. Suat Calb Calbıyık, chairman of the employers' association of the cement industry, called on the Turkish State Railways to abolish its fixed tariff on goods up to 150 km and further support the industry. Data from the

Turkish Cement Manufacturers Association show that in the first quarter of 2019, Turkey's domestic consumption fell by 24% year-on-year, from 67400 tons in 2018 to 5.12 million tons. Domestic sales fell 34% from 5.99 million tons to 3.98 million tons. Exports increased from 680 thousand tons to 940 thousand tons, an increase of 37 percent. The market's decline has been blamed on the weak housing market and the slowing domestic economy. < br/> < br/>

According to the Austrian Cement Industry Association (VOZ), Austrian cement production increased by 7.4% year-on-year to 5.2 million tons in 2018, and cement sales increased by 4.7%. To 432 million euros, an increase attributed to the construction boom. Sales continued to grow at a similar pace in the first quarter of 2019, but growth slowed in the second quarter. Environmental investment more than doubled in 2018 to 45 million euros, the association said. Alternative fuel substitution by local industry was 82%, and CO2 emissions per tonne of cement fell by 0.8% to 521 kg. < br/> < br/>

Cement sales in the first half of 2019 fell by 6.4% year-on-year to 5.51 million tons from 5.89 million tons in the same period in 2018, according to the Argentine Cement Producers Association. The trend was driven by a drop in local sales, which fell 6.6% to 5.46 million tonnes, but exports rose 28% to nearly 50,000 tonnes. < br/> < br/>

According to the Kenya Bureau of Statistics, cement production fell by 6% in the first quarter of 2019 compared with the same period last year. From 1.55 million tons in the same period in 2018 to 1.46 million tons. Cement consumption decreased by 3% from 1.5 million tons to 1.46 million tons. Previously, cement consumption increased by 2.8% year-on-year, from 5.8 million tons in 2017 to 5.9 million tons in 2018. However, production fell 2.6% to 6.07 million tonnes from 6.23 million tonnes. Imports increased by about 50% to 23,000 tonnes, but exports fell by 63% from 390,000 tonnes to 140,000 tonnes, mainly due to a sharp drop in deliveries to Uganda and Tanzania. < br/> < br/>

In the first half of 2019, Brazilian cement sales increased by 1.5% year-on-year to 25.8 million tons from 25.5 million tons in the same period of 2018, according to the Brazilian National Cement Industry Union (SNIC). The growth was in line with expectations and is expected to be stronger in the second half of the year, SNIC's chairman Penner said. Growth in cement sales was supported by the real estate market, and the industrial sector was also growing, he added.