According to local press, cement dispatches increased by 7.08% y/y to 3.15 million t in September. The data, which was released by the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association, reveals a 13.86% y/y rise in domestic sales (to 2.42 million t) but a 10.6% y/y fall in exports (to 730 000 t).
In the first quarter of the current fiscal year, exports fell by 8.13% y/y while sales on the national market improved by 9.85% y/y. In total, dispatches for the quarter were 4.68% higher than in the corresponding period in the previous year.
In the north, exports declined by 17.3% y/y to 1.277 million t in the first quarter, but local dispatches grew by 10.8% y/y. In the south, exports were up by 12.2% y/y while domestic sales increased by 5.4% y/y. The lower growth rate for domestic dispatches in the south compared to the north has been partially attributed to cheap Iranian cement being smuggled into the southern region.
Edited from various sources by Louise Fordham
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