Pakistan monthly sales up 11% YoY

Pakistan’s cement dispatches rose by 11 per cent YoY in November 2014 to 3Mt largely thanks to higher domestic demand and exports from the northern region.

According to the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA), consumption in the north rose by 13 per cent YoY whereas in the south the increase was just two per cent.

Exports during the month improved by 10 per cent YoY, driven by a 14 per cent rise in dispatches from northern-based plants. This came as welcome news as demand from Pakistan’s main export market of Afghanistan has shrunk considerably in recent months due to the withdrawal of NATO forces and increasing imports of Iranian cement.

Over the first five months of the current fiscal, dispatches increased by 6.4 per cent YoY on the back of a nine per cent increase in domestic demand. Total dispatches during July-November 2014 reached just over 14.1Mt including 10.6Mt of local sales. Exports of 3.5Mt were down two per cent YoY.