Pakistan: cement sales climb to 4.9Mt

For the first two months of the current fiscal year (July-August 2016) Pakistan's total cement dispatches increased 14 per cent to 4.9Mt when compared to the 4.3Mt recorded in the same period last year.

The increase is a result of growing domestic sales, which in August rose by 21 per cent YoY to 3.03Mt, up from 2.5Mt. In particular, cement sales in the north of the country performed extremely well as they rose 22.6 per cent to 2.49Mt. Sales of 0.53Mt (a 13.2 per cent rise YoY) were recorded in the south in August 2016.

However, exports did not perform as well. According to data released by the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association, overall exports have been following a negative trend. For the July-August 2016 period exports slipped almost one per cent YoY to 1.02Mt. Exports to Afghanistan fell by 12 per cent, reaching just 346,925t in the given period. Exports dispatched by sea were even more negatively hit, declining 24 per cent YoY to 407,120t.

The overall performance of exports was boosted by India, however, with exports for July-August growing 167 per cent YoY to 268,230t.