Pakistan's cement industry received foreign exchange revenue of US$25.89m by exporting 624,714t of cement during the month of December 2018, compared to US$26.77m at 635,192t in the previous month. This shows a fall of 3.3 per cent and 1.7 per cent in terms of value and quantity, respectively, according to the Federal Bureau of Statistics.

However, if compared to December 2017 (293,890t at US$14.54m), it translates to an increase of 78 per cent in foreign currency earnings and 112.6 per cent YoY in terms of volume.

In the first six months of FY18-19, export revenue rose 32.4 per cent to US$157.01m, with Pakistan exporting 3.7Mt of cement, compared to US$118.58m from 2.36Mt in a year-ago period.

The breakdown of exports, according to All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA), shows that export dispatches to Afghanistan and India continued to decline in the 6MFY18-19. Exports to Afghanistan fell by 22.8 per cent to 928,319t and volumes to India were down 6.1 per cent to 530,509t. However, exports by sea, increased by over 230 per cent to reach 2.101Mt during this period.

A spokesman of APCMA said the considerable increase in exports have proved that the Pakistani cement industry is globally competitive and the industry can earn precious foreign exchange for the country with government support.