The Association of Cement Producers (ASOCEM) reported that shipments of cement in the Peruvian market totaled 756.245 five million metric tons (MT) between January and October this year, 3.78 percent more than was recorded in the same period of 2008 , when they totaled five million 546.446 MT.

During the aforesaid period cement production was 840.411 MT of five million, representing an increase of 3.01 percent over the same period in 2008, when five million totaled 669.896 MT.

Between January and October cement exports totaled 1.351 MT, representing a fall of 97.83 percent to 62.316 MT to be exported in the same period last year.

In this sense, the total shipments of cement (domestic plus exports) during the first ten months this year totaled 757.596 five million metric tons, showing an increase of 2.65 percent over the same period of 2008, when five million totaled 608.762 TM .

This information is provided by the companies Cemento Andino, Cementos Lima, Cementos Pacasmayo, Cementos Yura, and Cementos Cementos Selva Sur.

Senior Analyst Economic Studies Department of Scotiabank, Pablo Nano, said that in October there was a new monthly record in the office of cement with 671.285 MT, which represented a growth of 7.3 percent.

"In the past two months we see a more rapid the pace of growth in shipments of cement, mainly in the provinces," he told Andina news agency.

He said that in the south of the country's cement dispatches grew significantly, behavior that should be linked to infrastructure works in that area, mainly from the South Inter-Oceanic Highway.

He considered that the construction sector level there is a recovery of private investment and the sustained increase in public investment, because in September the rate of progression of Physical Works grew 36.7 percent.

Nano said that given the good performance of the construction sector in recent months, the bank adjusted its figures in September, four growth projected earlier this year to five percent by the end of 2009.