Pakistan monthly sales fall

Pakistan cement dispatches fell seven per cent YoY in August due to the Eid holidays and wet weather conditions.

Sales were down to 2.15Mt in August 2013 compared to 2.6Mt in the same month of the previous year.  Meanwhile, on a sequential basis, August sales fell by 17 per cent compared to July 2013 dispatches of 2.6Mt.

Domestic sales were hardest hit as volumes were down 19 per cent to 1.5Mt while exports fell 13 per cent.

For the first two months of current fiscal, which began in July 2013, were 4.7Mt compared to 5.1Mt in the previous fiscal. In addition to the Eid holiday and the rainy season, pre-buying in June also appeared to be another contributing factor as customers anticipated a price hike brought on by higher taxes.