Q1 cement sales down 25%: sign of tough times ahead in building sector?

In the first quarter of 2001 domestic cement makers' sales were 25% lower than in the same period last year, an indication that Poland's construction sector could be in for rough times, an industry insider said yesterday. According to Andrzej Balcerek, chairman of the Cement and Lime Producers Association (SPCiW), the fall in cement sales undoubtedly signals the coming of a decline in the country's building industry. The cement sector, in which some 9,000 are employed, so far has not been affected by layoffs. In 2000 cement producers sold over 14.2 million more tonnes of cement than in 1999. Despite the bleak numbers for the first three months, Balcerek hopes that cement sales will rise some 2-3% in 2001. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p.20) A.Z.