Pakistan cement exports down 27.6% in FY15-16

Pakistan's cement industry exported 5.97Mt of cement in FY15-16, which represents a fall of 22.3 per cent YoY, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. The bureau attributes the decline to contracting demand and competition among other issues.

In terms of value, exports during July 2015-June 2016 saw a 27.6 per cent YoY decrease from US$443.63m to US$321.29m.

The average price of cement also fell to US$53.75/t from US$57.64/tt during this period.

In June 2016, 394,905t of cement was exported at a value of US$19.96m, down by 24.2 and 26 per cent, respectively from May, when 521,188t was sold in the country's overseas markets at US$26.98m.Year-on-year, the drop reached 22.8 and 34 per cent, respectively as 511,691t with a value of US$30.24m was exported.

According to All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA), export to Afghanistan during FY15-16 recorded a decline of 15.1 per cent to 2.43Mt. However, exports to India expanded 42.5 per cent as the country dispatched 992,631t to its eastern neighbour. Export to rest of the world saw a fall of over 33 per cent.

A spokesman of APCMA said that sharp decline in cement exports should be an eye opener for the policy makers of the country. APCMA’s spokesperson appealed the government to support local manufacturers in recovering their markets by providing freight and transportation subsidies to strengthen their global competitiveness.