Pakistan cement production witnessed a mixed trend in FY19-20

The output of Pakistan's large-scale manufacturing industries (LSMIs) declined by 10.2 per cent in the previous fiscal year, FY19-20, compared to FY18-19, as almost all of the major manufacturing sectors posted negative growth, according to the data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). According to provisional quantum index numbers of large-scale manufacturing industries (QIM), the LSMI output declined by 7.7 per cent in June 2020, compared to June 2019, and increased by 16.8 per cent, when compared to May 2020.

Pakistani cement production decreased by two per cent YoY to 39.122 Mt in July 2019-June 2020 from 39.924Mt a year earlier. However, the downward trend was reversed in June 2020, when production significantly rose by 21 per cent to 3.524Mt versus 2.912Mt in June 2019. The decline in production is attributed to the lockdown of cement plants from March onward due to the COVID-19 pandemic.