Country Snapshot Spain: Suffocated by Recession

Both production and consumption dropped sharply this year in the Spanish cement market. The general economic picture is to blame, analysts say, with Spain facing its fifth year of recession. The latest data shows that cement production in Spain fell in the first six months of 2012 to its lowest level in the last 48 years.

According to data from the sector's national association, Oficemen, Spain produced 60 percent less cement in the first half of the year compared with the same period of the previous year. Consumption also fell in the first half of the year, by 34.7 percent to 7.2 million tons. Analysts expect a 25 percent drop of demand for the whole year.

Read the rest of the article in the CemWeek Magazine issue 11.