A new report by the Saudi Ministry of Trade and Industry has indicated that the actual production of local cement companies in Saudi Arabia declined during the first half of this year by 4 per cent to 18.8 million tons, compared to 19.6 million tons in the comparable period last year. Eng. Omar al Amer, the Director General of "Qassim Cement Company", explained the reasons for the decline, saying it was connected to "the continuing suspension of exports and increased production capacities following the entrance of new players to the local market. According to him, corporate performance will be affected in the event of continuation of this status quo.
However, the Ministry of Trade and Industry's report indicated that the companies raised their exports of cement by 37.2 per cent. the "Saudi Cement Company" has achieved the highest production among the local cement manufacturers, as its volume of clinker production 2.8 million tons, an increase of 14.7 per cent, but a decline of almost 33 percent compared to the same period in 2009.
