SANTO DOMINGO - Jorge David Pérez, the new president of the Dominican Association of Portland Cement Producers (ADOCEM) , highlighted yesterday the importance of keeping the construction sector active, given its driving and pulling effect on the Dominican economy.
In highlighting the decline in cement sales in the local market, with a decrease of 6.2% in the first four months of this year, the businessman emphasized the decline suffered by the Dominican construction sector.
Upon being sworn in to head the 2025-2027 Board of Directors of the entity, Pérez said that the construction sector, since last year, has remained well below its long-term average growth rate.
“At the close of the first quarter of this year, the construction growth rate is negative at -2.3%, hence the sales volume to the local cement market has decreased by 6.2%, compared to 2024,” he highlighted.
The general manager of Argos Dominicana said that since the entity's inception, they have worked in a coordinated manner on economic, social, and environmental issues to improve the performance of the construction sector, with ADOCEM being the channel for this vision.
" the construction sector invests and grows , the more opportunities are offered to Dominicans to work, save, consume and contribute to the State, and the latter, in turn, will be able to have greater sources of income to guarantee health, education and good infrastructure for all," he said.
Draft amendment to the Solid Waste Law
During his speech, Pérez emphasized the cement industry's commitment to reducing the environmental footprint not only of its operations, but also for society in general, by applying its technological capabilities.
He also cited as an example the ability of cement kilns to convert waste into energy, this being a circular economy model that would allow the country to reduce the disposal of waste in open-air landfills and the adverse consequences to the environment.
“We are facing a proposed amendment to the General Law on Waste Management and Co-processing that aims to impose mandatory energy recovery quotas for waste in cement companies, without a balanced market structure, creating monopolies that compromise the economic viability of the process and also generate distrust in our companies,” he said.
Pérez emphasized that achieving a more sustainable future requires collective action among industry, government, and society. “We know that no individual effort is enough. Our invitation, then, is to move forward through collaboration and technical exchange, not through mandatory measures that ignore the realities of the industry and the country,” he concluded.
