Pakistan full-year growth slows

Pakistan dispatched 40.315Mt of cement of during fiscal year 2016-17, up 3.71 per cent YoY, the latest data from the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) shows. Capacity utilisation for the year was 86.9 per cent.
 
During the July 2016-June 2017 period domestic cement dispatches from the north zone were 29.141Mt (+7.72 per cent) and exports were 3.150Mt (-18.22 per cent). Meanwhile, dispatches from the south zone rose by 9.47 per cent YoY to 6.511Mt. However, exports were down by 25.1 per cent to 1.514Mt.
 
Having registered growth across the first 11 months of FY16-17, in June 2017 dispatches were down by 19.62 per cent as Ramadan resulted in slower construction activity. Exports for the final month of the fiscal were down by 10.95 per cent.

The overall increase of 3.71 per cent recorded for the year is slower than the rate of growth achieved in FY15-16 of 6.74 per cent.