Cement bags stocked at a facility in Hai Duong Province. — Photo tcgvn.com

Viet Nam exported 7.5 million tonnes of cement and clinker in the first quarter of this year, earning US$291 million, statistics from the Ministry of Industry and Trade revealed.

Exports witnessed strong decreases of nearly 40 per cent in quantity and 19 per cent in value compared to the same period last year due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and a global price decline.

During the same period last year, the country shipped 12 million tonnes of cement and clinker abroad for $360 million.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Construction forecast cement demand would increase by 4-5 per cent in 2020 thanks to a recovery in the real estate market.

Demand was estimated to reach 101-103 million tonnes, an increase of 4-5 per cent from last year, of which 69-70 million tonnes would be used at home and 32-34 million tonnes would be shipped overseas.

Two cement production lines were expected to be put into operation this year, bringing the total number of cement production lines in Viet Nam to 86 with a total output of 105.84 million tonnes.

The total consumption volume of cement and clinker in 2019 reached about 98 million tonnes, an increase of 2 per cent year-on-year. Domestic consumption reached 67 million tonnes, up by 1 per cent, while the export volume stood at about 32 million tonnes, earning $1.27 billion. — VNS