According to Luis Zárate Rocha, president of the Mexican Chamber of Construction Industry (CMIC), the Mexican construction industry will finally recover from the slowdown that started this January in the third quarter of 2014. At a press conference this week, he said that from January to March, activity in the industry fell 2.3 percent, while March alone saw a 5.2 percent decrease.
"We will be in full recovery in the third quarter of 2014, as we are waiting for energy reform and Inland Revenue, which will mark a major boost for the activity," Rocha said, adding that the industry had estimated an investment of 2.4 billion pesos this year; however, in the absence of the National Infrastructure Plan and other damages, the figure recorded a considerable adjustment.
But by 2014, he said, if there is a sufficient project bank, in addition to the amendments to the Public Works Act, the tendering procedures of construction projects will be much more agile.
On the possible presentation of the National Infrastructure Plan, Rocha predicted that it could be announced as soon as June, particularly in the forum that will be held in the CMIC from the 19th to 21st of this month, in Mérida, Yucatán, where attended by President Enrique Peña Nieto and the head of the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (SCT), Gerardo Ruiz Esparza.
Zárate said that one of the main projects that the plan might contain would be the construction of a new airport for Mexico City. Additionally, he said that the financial reform initiative portion of the plan will be critical to the promotion of small and medium enterprises in the construction sector, as it will offer better rates and less paperwork to support them.