Cyprus cement sales down 25.8% in 2009

Local sales of cement tumbled 25.8% in 2009, according to the latest figures from the Statistical Service.
Total sales locally reached 1.44 mln tonnes, down from 1.94 mln in 2008, reflecting the downturn in the construction sector.
Bulk sales of Portlant composite (the largest item by weight) were down 21.4% to 709,960 tonnes, while sales of ordinary Portland were down 34.9% to 378,043.
Production of cement saw a similar fall, dropping by 22.6% to 1.48 mln.
One bright spot was that from zero in 2008, there was a small amount of exports in 2009, reaching 52,789 tonnes.