MADRID, 17 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Cement consumption fell by 7.1% in February in Spain, to 1.17 million tons, compared to the same month last year, when the highest consumption in the last decade was recorded, according to the latest data published in Cement Statistics.

The group of cement manufacturers in Spain (Oficemen) already predicted these falls at the beginning of the year, precisely due to the "exceptional" consumption that was registered in the first months of 2022, compared to the more restrained evolution of 2023.

In the last 12 months, consumption has fallen by 3.4%, compared to the slightest fall of 1.6% that this indicator maintained in January. In absolute values, a total of 14.4 million tons of cement have been consumed during the last 12 months.

"Although with only two months of evolution it does not usually have a special statistical relevance, it is interesting to note that it is entering the red, with a fall of 2.9%, which would be in line with our forecasts for the year 2023", he explained. the general director of Oficemen, Aniceto Zaragoza.

Exports fell 17.2% in February, which puts the accumulated annual figure in the red, with a decline of 9.7%. In February alone, 85,931 exported tons were lost compared to the same month in 2022.

The main cause of these data continues to be the poor evolution of clinker sales abroad, responsible for the loss of 79,000 tons last month.

For their part, imports also sank by 61.7%, to 93,000 tons, the result of lower construction activity.