Pakistan July dispatches decline

Pakistan reported a decline in dispatches for the first month of fiscal FY13-14 as the pace of construction slowed due to monsoon rains and Ramadan.

During July 2013 (the first month of FY13-14), local cement sales fell 10.43 per cent YoY to 1.846Mt compared to 2.060Mt in July 2012.

Exports were down by 0.75 per cent last month to 0.749Mt against 0.755Mt in July the year before. International deliveries from the north declined to 0.525Mt to 0.615Mt. Exports from the south, however, saw a 61.5 per cent YoY rise to 0.224Mt.

A spokesman for All-Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) said monsoon and the commencement of the holy month of Ramadan reduced dispatches. Higher taxes in the 2013-2014 budget and an increase in transportation charges (due to the strict compliance of axle load restrictions on cement trucks) were also blamed for the lower cement sales.