Pakistan's cement industry has recorded a 5.5 per cent YoY fall in production during the 9MFY18-19 from 31.22Mt to 29.52Mt, reportedly due to a drop in local demand amongst other factors. In March 2019 alone, cement production decreased by 11.9 per cent YoY to 3.5Mt from 4Mt.
"The cement industry has been under pressure this fiscal as development expenditure has been slashed by 40 per cent from last year, however we were pinning hopes on the announcement of a programme to build 5m low-cost houses in the next five years for the homeless, but that project is yet to start," said the spokesperson of All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers’ Association (APCMA). The spokesperson also noted that the government should start the project as soon as possible as this is the only chance to gear up production for the industry in current scenario.
The overall output of Pakistan's large-scale manufacturing industries (LSMI) decreased 2.9 per cent in the first nine months of the current financial year, according to Pakistan's Bureau of Statistics (PBS). Production in the 9MFY18-19 increased in fertilisers and electronics while it has decreased in other sectors such as cement, automobiles, and iron and steel products.
