National cement sales reached 75.2 million tons in 2018, grew 8.6% compared to the previous year. A total of 69.51 million tons are sales in the domestic market and 5.7 million tons from the export market.
But compared to the installed capacity of the cement industry, which reached 109 million tons. National cement exports surged 97% to 5.7 million, supported by the utilization of domestic cement factories which have overcapacity of up to 30%.
Indonesia Cement Association (ASI) targets cement exports to reach 7 million tons in 2019, up 23% from 2018. This export still be a national industry choice to reduce the overcapacity that continues this year.
Despite a sharp increase in exports, said Widodo, the uptake of cement in the domestic market did not experience a significant increase. Throughout 2018, domestic cement consumption only grew 4.9% to 69.51 million tons.
