Pakistan cement dispatches rise on increased exports

Pakistan reported a rise in dispatches last month led by gains in export volumes but domestic sales were subdued.

Latest data from the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers’ Association show cement dispatches reached 3.326Mt last month, of which 2.558Mt was consumed by the domestic market and 0.786Mt exported. Exports during March rose by 22.9 per cent YoY, and were up 15 per cent MoM compared to February 2013.

However, the healthy gain in exports was accompanied by only marginal growth in domestic dispatches, an APCMA spokesperson said.  He expressed concerns that the domestic market had remained stagnant during the last two months, registering nominal growth of 1.58 per cent in February and were virtually unchanged in March at +0.17 per cent.

During the first nine months of this fiscal the total cement dispatches reached 24.542Mt. The domestic use stood at 18.373Mt and exports were 6.169Mt. The overall increase in domestic cement consumption was 6.05 per cent while the total decline in exports was 1.19 per cent. The overall increase in cement dispatches, therefore, stood at 4.13 per cent after adjusting? for decline in exports.

The APCMA spokesperson told local press that the incessant increase in the input cost is creating difficulties for the industry, particularly furnace oil, the main fuel used in the local cement industry.