Total cement dispatches in Pakistan declined by 25.7 per cent to 3.37Mt in August 2024 when compared with 4.53Mt in August 2023.

According to the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA), domestic dispatches fell by 27.6 per cent to 2.75Mt in August 2023 from 3.8Mt in the year-ago period. Total exports were also down, by 16 per cent, with volumes decreasing to 613,857t from 730,755t over the same period.

North-South breakdown
In August 2024 cement mills based in the north dispatched 2.53Mt, a decrease of 22 per cent from 3.25Mt in August 2023. South-based mills dispatched 835,245t of cement during August 2024, which is 34.5 per cent less compared to the 1.276Mt dispatched in August 2023.

North-based mills delivered 2.325Mt of cement to domestic markets in August 2024, down 24.7 per cent compared to 3.09Mt in August 2023. South-based mills dispatched 426,289t of cement locally in August 2024, a 39.9 per cent decrease from 709,443t in August 2023.

North-based mills exported 204,901t in August, a YoY increase of 24.8 per cent from 164,195t in August 2023. However, exports from south-based mills decreased by 27.8 per cent to 408,956t in August 2024 from 566,560t in the same month of the previous year.

2MFY24-25 dispatches
During the first two months of FY24-25, total cement dispatches were 6.38Mt, a 17.8 per cent YoY decrease from 7.758Mt in the same period last fiscal year. Domestic dispatches during this period were 5.21Mt, compared to 6.58Mt during the same period last year, representing a drop of 20.7 per cent.

Export dispatches fell by 1.7 per cent YoY to 1.16Mt in the 2MFY24-25 from 1.18Mt.

North-based mills dispatched 4.418Mt of cement to domestic customers during the 2MFY24-25, an 18.8 per cent decrease from 5.44Mt during 2MFY23-24. Exports from north-based mills increased by 6.2 per cent to 303,821t during July-August 2024, compared with 286,009t exported during the same period last year.

Total dispatches by north-based mills decreased by 17.5 per cent to 4.722Mt in the 2MFY24-25, down from 5.726Mt during the same period last fiscal year.

Domestic dispatches by south-based mills during July-August 2024 were 795,846t, a drop of 30 per cent compared to 1.137Mt dispatched during the same period of the previous fiscal year. Exports from south-based mills also declined by 4.2 per cent, totalling 857,198t during July-August 2024, compared with 894,537t exported during the same period last year. Total dispatches by south-based mills decreased by 18.6 per cent YoY to 1.653Mt during the 2MFY24-25 from 2.032Mt.

A spokesperson for the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association said that the domestic market has shown a negative trend for the past 12 months as the industry struggles with higher taxes and economic uncertainty. Heavy monsoon rains also impacted construction activities last month.