According to the Building Materials Department under the Ministry of Construction, in the first six months of the year, consumption of cement products (including cement and clinker) was estimated at 38.77 million tonnes - up 12.4 % over the same period last year - reaching more than 51% of the annual plan.
Cement consumption in the domestic market during the period reached nearly 30 million tonnes, up 14.8% over the same period in 2015.
According to experts, the forecast of yearly domestic consumption of about 59-60 million tonnes can be reached by the year-end.
Head of the Building Materials Department Le Van Toi said that the rise in cement consumption during the first six months of 2016 was due to warming of the real estate market with a range of construction projects launched.
Cement products are at reasonable prices, thanks to reduced production costs during manufacturing from cement businesses.
Meanwhile, cement exports in the first half reached 8.85 million tonnes, up 5% year on year despite increased pressure from cheap cement supplies from China and domestic difficulties.
