Cement sector is hopeful for the coming period

TÜRKÇİMENTO, the roof union of the cement industry, announced the production and sales figures of its members for the first quarter of 2023. Cement production of TÜRKÇİMENTO members, representing 94% of the sector, increased by 9.7% to 15.9 million tonnes in the January-March period of 2023 compared to last year. In the first 3 months of 2023, domestic sales increased by 23.4% to 12.1 million tonnes. Cement exports decreased by 20.2 per cent in the first quarter.

The cement sector started 2023 with an increase in domestic market sales and a decrease in exports with the base effect of January 2022, following 2022, when it experienced a 7% contraction. After the decrease in February, production and domestic sales started to increase again in March. On a regional basis, domestic sales increased in all regions except South East Anatolia.

Fatih Yücelik, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Cement Industrialists' Association (TÜRKÇİMENTO), reminded that the cement sector completed the year 2022 with a contraction in tonnage in domestic and foreign sales due to the shrinkage in the construction sector, and evaluated the data for the first 3 months of 2023 as follows:

"Although we, as the sector, experienced increases in production and domestic sales in the first three months of 2023, considering that approximately 85% of our production costs are energy-based, it is obvious that if there is an increase in labour wages, exchange rates and energy prices in the coming period, it will inevitably affect our sector. However, we anticipate that a different and more positive picture will emerge in the second half of the year. On the other hand, the factors that affect the growth of the cement sector the most are undoubtedly the construction sector and infrastructure investments. We have more than enough production capacity to meet these investments. As a result of the international reflections that will emerge with the announcement of the policies to be implemented by our government, we are receiving positive signals for the next period."

JANUARY-MAY EXPORT FIGURES

According to the provisional data of the Export Unions, total exports of the cement sector in the January-May period of 2023 decreased by 18.3% in value terms compared to the same period of the previous year and decreased to 530 million USD. Total export quantity decreased by 35.8% to 8.1 million tonnes in the 5-month period. The decrease in clinker exports was 70.6% in quantity and 65.8% in value. Of the total 8.1 million tonnes exported by the sector, 6.7 million tonnes of cement and 1.4 million tonnes of clinker were exported.