Cement industry's new sales fall in September

SÃO PAULO-cement sales in Brazil in September fell 2,4% on the same month of 2016 and retreated 5% before August to 4,786,000 tons, reported on Tuesday the association representing manufacturers of raw material, Icns.
According to the entity, the only region to show sales growth in September at the annual comparison was the South, with high 4% to 776,000 tons. In the mid-West there was stability, the Southeast had downtown 1,9%, the Northeast recorded fall of 5,2% and North sales fell 18,4% in September over a year earlier.
"Despite the fall, effectively we are seeing recovery, since the recoil YTD September is 7,4% and we started the year with a low of 11,7%," said the President of the Snic, Paulo Camillo Penna.
He said that typically the second half is better than the first for industry sales, on factors such as features of the 13th salary and vacation, that motivate the so-called "Ant consumption" of small works and reforms.
The expectation of the Snic is that sales of cement in 2017 fall between 6 and 7% recovering in 2018 for a stable lock on this year, Penna said.
"There's recovery, has early housing works due to maturation of programs such as card reform, expansion of income ranges from my house my life," said Penna.
He added however, that the infrastructure works and concessions, which could encourage a greater consumption of cement, are not yet impacting the sector. "There's serious fiscal problem of Governments, which has prevented significant investments," he said.
According to data of Snic, in late September showed cement manufacturers 46% Lounge on a total production capacity of 100 million tons. The sector accumulated a fall of sales of around 28% from 2014.