Dominican Republic cement prices rise

The president of the Dominican Republic’s housing builders and developers grouped in Acoprovi expressed surprise at the rising price for a bag of cement charged by some producers, Dominican Today reports.


Fermin Acosta’s reaction comes just days after the price of a bag of cement increased by 30 pesos. "We weren’t expecting an increase, on the contrary, considering that there’s been lower prices for a barrel of oil in international markets for several weeks, leaves us with no reasonable cause to understand this increase," Acosta said.


Acoprovi ‘s president also urged cement producers and importers to review those measures, which in his view go against the positive message of stability augured in the Mortgage Market Development and Trust Law.

VIETNAM: Vietnam to propose association for exporters

Vietnam has called for domestic exporters to cooperate in fair pricing and is proposing to establish an association for cement and clinker export firms as the country looks to alleviate an increasing cement surplus.


According to local press reports, Vietnam’s Ministry of Construction is proposing the new association which would help curb 'unhealthy competition' among these export companies as some local firms have cut prices. A proposal has been submitted to the prime minister for approval, according to the Dau Tu Chung Khoan newspaper.


Vietnam has eight cement and clinker exporters, six of which are domestic companies while two are joint venture companies. The ministry has called on local players to cooperate instead of undercutting each other to overcome the large inventories the industry is currently facing.


The Vietnam Cement Association has also reportedly recommended a common export price for members but some still export at lower prices.


Earlier, the ministries of Construction and Transport signed a memorandum to increase the use of cement in transport projects around the country. Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Tran Nam said the VCA's members should exchange information about the volume and price of the cement and clinker they export.


Vietnam had around 2.8Mt of cement in inventories at the end of June. This figure is expected to rise to 6Mt by the end of the year.

USA: US monthly shipments rise 17.5 per cent YoY

Total shipments of Portland and blended cement in the US and Puerto Rico for April 2012 were almost 6.7Mt, 17.5 per cent higher than shipments in April 2011, data from the US Geological Survey (USGS) shows.


Shipments for the year through April were 21.9Mt, up by about 19%. The leading producing states in April were Texas, Missouri, California, Florida, and Pennsylvania, in descending order and accounted for 43% of total output. The leading consuming States (Texas, California, Florida, Ohio, and Illinois, in descending order) received about 37% of the April total shipments.


Clinker production totaled 5.4 Mt in April, about 6% higher than output in April 2011. Production for the year through April was 19.1Mt, up by almost 13%. The leading clinker-producing states in April were Texas, California, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Florida, in descending order, and these accounted for almost 48% of the US total production. 


April 2012 imports of cement and clinker of about 585,000t were 4% higher than those in April 2011. Imports for the year through April were 1.68Mt, up by 10%.

MOZAMBIQUE: New cement factory set for Mozambique’s Manica province

A cement factory is to be established in the Manica province of Mozambique, according to its Mayor
Eusébio Lambo Gondiua said that contacts have been made with the relevant authorities and in coordination with the Barue district government in order to ensure the project would be carried out.


The location of the factory has already been selected, according to the Mayor.


Currently, the Dondo cement plant which belongs to Cimentos de Moçambique (part of the Cimpor group) supplies cement to the Manica province.

URUGUAY: Embarcan clinker de cemento desde el puerto de Concepción del Uruguay

Se realizó este jueves en el puerto de Concepción del Uruguay el primer embarque de clinker a granel en barcazas; Tendrá como destino el puerto uruguayo de Paysandú; Para este viernes se espera el ingreso de un ultramarino que cargará arroz a granel con destino a Brasil.



Este jueves partió desde el puerto de Concepción del Uruguay, el primer embarque de clinker a granel en barcazas. El clinker es la piedra base para la elaboración del cemento y llega hasta el puerto de La Histórica proveniente de la planta de Cemento Avellaneda con destino a la empresa Ancap de la República Oriental del Uruguay. 


El presidente del Instituto Portuario de Entre Ríos (Ipper), Carlos María Scelzi, recorrió los muelles durante la operatoria de carga junto al titular del Ente Puerto Concepción del Uruguay, Leonardo Cabrera, y detalló: “Este primer embarque de clinker constituye una innovación para el puerto. Es una carga que nunca se había hecho antes. Serán dos viajes de 1.200 toneladas que se está tomando como prueba piloto para analizar la posibilidad de establecer una frecuencia de dos embarques semanales”. 


Los trabajos comenzaron el jueves a las 6. Se puso en marcha una logística que involucró a la nueva grúa del Ente Puerto Concepción, que fue la encargada de descargar los contenedores desde los camiones y volcar el clinker en las bodegas de la barcaza.