Well-informed media sources reported that cement companies’ sales fell last January to 4.85 million metric tons, compared to 5.75 million metric tons—a decline of 15.66%—despite the entry of: Umm Al-Qura Cement with 115,000 metric tons and United Cement with 141,000 metric tons, neither of which were included in the list for the comparable period.

The decline in sales coincided with a 16.87% drop in production in January to 4.78 million metric tons, compared to 5.74 million metric tons in January 2016, as well as a rise in inventory by 26,34% to 1.12 million metric tons, compared to 877,000 metric tons in the corresponding period.