The moving annual total of cement sales in South Africa increased 5.8% year-on-year (y/y) in January 2008 from the 7.4% y/y increase reported in December, according to Cement and Concrete Institute (CNCI) data released on Monday.

At the end of January 2008, cement sales were reported up to 15.290 million tons from the 14.448 million tons reported a year earlier.

Total sales in January, however, amounted to 982,424 tons from 1.008 million tons in January 2007, a decrease of 2.5%.

Exports of cement in January decreased 79.7% to 6,713 tons from 33,430 tons a year earlier.

Sales to Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho and Namibia amounted to 1.191 million tons of the total sales in January, up from 1.030 million tons a year earlier.

Cement sales in South Africa grew 6.6% in 2007 to a record 14.1 million tons. This followed an 11.0% rise in 2006, an 11.6% gain in 2005, a 17.4% surge in 2004 and a 7.0% climb in 2003.

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Last year was a good year for the South African cement industry, with sales up by nearly 7% compared to 2002.