Cement sales in Indonesia rose 0.2 per cent y-o-y to 4.54 MT in February 2017 from 4.54 MT in the same month one year earlier, said Indonesia Investments.
Weak cement sales in the second month of 2017 are blamed on adverse weather conditions (a high amount of rainfall caused floods in several parts of Indonesia) and on the fact that direct investment in infrastructure and property outside Java remains bleak.
Widodo Santoso, Chairman of the Indonesia Cement Association (ASI), said Indonesia’s cement sales remained stagnant so far in 2017 with growth only being recorded in Java, Bali and Nusa Tenggara.
Meanwhile, the islands of Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and parts of eastern Indonesia saw big declines (more than 8 per cent) in terms of cement sales.
Between January-February 2017, Indonesia’s overall cement sales fell 1.1 per cent y-o-y to 9.72 MT compared to sales in the same period one year earlier.