APCMA releases mixed dispatches data for March 2023

Total cement dispatches of Pakistan's cement mills in March 2023 were 3.795Mt against 5.01Mt in the previous fiscal year, representing a fall of 24.2 per cent.  

A spokesman of the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) said that construction activities in both the northern and southern regions of the country have significantly decreased in recent months, which is not only creating an alarming situation for the industry but also drying up the employment opportunities for skilled and unskilled labour attached to the construction sector. Continued political instability, currency devaluation and poor economic conditions also impact all industrial sectors, including cement. 

According to the data released by APCMA, local cement dispatches in March 2023 were 3.356Mt compared to 4.71Mt in March 2022, showing a decline of 28.8 per cent. However, export dispatches increased by 48.5 per cent as the volumes increased from 295,321t in March 2022 to 438,433t in March 2023.

In March 2023 northern cement mills dispatched 2.82Mt of cement, showing a decline of 28.2 per cent against 3.929Mt dispatches in March 2022. Mills is the south of the country dispatched 974,467t of cement during March 2023, showing a 9.5 per cent drop from 1.076Mt in March 2022.

In terms of domestic dispatches, northern cement mills delivered 2.72Mt of cement in March 2023, showing a decline of 29.3 per cent when compared with 3.849Mt of dispatches in March 2022. Southern mills supplied 636,465t of cement in local markets in March 2023, down 26.1 per cent from  861,742t in March 2022.   

However, exports from northern mills increased by 24.6 per cent as volumes increased from 80,584t in March 2022 to 100,431t in March 2023. Exports from the south also advanced, by 57.4 per cent, to 338,002t in March 2023 from 214,737t during the same month last year. 

Financial YTD dispatches
During the first 9MFY22-23, total cement dispatches (domestic and exports) were 33.6Mt, which is 17.6 per cent lower than the 40.77Mt dispatched in the 9MFY21-22. Domestic dispatches in 9MFY22-23 were 30.56Mt against 36.13Mt during the same period the previous year, showing a reduction of 15.4 per cent. Export volumes fell by 34.6 per cent to 3.036Mt during the first 9MFY23 compared to 4.643Mt of exports in the previous fiscal year.  

Mills in the northern Pakistan dispatched 25.047Mt cement domestically during the 9MFY22-23, representing a reduction of 16.3 per cent when compared with cement dispatches of 29.937Mt in 9MFY21-22. Exports from the North increased by 14.56 per cent YoY to 778,437t in 9MFY22-23 from  679,481t. Total dispatches by north-based mills declined by 15.7 per cent to 25.826Mt in the 9MFY22-23 from 30.617Mt in the previous financial year.   

Domestic dispatches by south-based mills during 9MFY22-23 were 5.517Mt, representing a reduction of 10.9 per cent over 6.189Mt cement dispatched during the last fiscal year. Exports from the south declined by 43.1 per cent to 2.257Mt in 9MFY22-23 compared with 3.964Mt exported in the previous year. Total dispatches by south-based mills fell by 23.4 per cent to 7.774Mt in the 9MFY22-23 from 10.152Mt in the previous financial year.