Pakistan's export earnings down by one-third

During the first month of the new Pakistan fiscal, cement exports declined by 30.31 per cent YoY to 557,159t, with shipments to Afghanistan falling significantly. In revenue terms, exports were down by 33.68 per cent to US$32.59m during the same month, according to the latest data from Pakistan’s Bureau of Statistics.

Exports earnings also declined in Pakistan rupee terms by 33.55 per cent to PKR3.216bn during July 2014, Similarly, the average export price of cement dropped 4.84 per cent to US$58.50t versus US$61.48t in July 2013.

Afghanistan remained Pakistan’s top cement importer, but export volumes during July fell by 58.03 per cent to 183,927t. According to industry experts this trend is likely to continue in coming months as NATO forces prepare to leave Afghanistan.

Exports to India, on the other hand, rose by 24.2 per cent to 62,603t. Shipments to Pakistan’s other markets around the world dipped 0.5 per cent.

Cement plants located in the south suffered a loss of only 7.2 per cent in exports (which are mainly delivered by sea) while exports from the north fell by 43.8 per cent.