APCMA reports declining local and export dispatches

All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) reports that cement dispatches declined by 9.1 per cent to 5.214Mt in October 2021 against 5.735Mt in the year-ago period. The breakdown indicates that the local share out of this total stands at 4.603Mt, compared to 4.859Mt in October 2020, showing a reduction of 5.3 per cent YoY. Exports suffered a significant 30.1 per cent decline, as volumes fell from 875,266t to 611,884t in October 2021.

A representative of the APCMA said that a continuous increase in input costs coupled with the recent hike in rupee to US dollar parity are major concerns for the industry. These price escalations are seriously affecting the cost of doing business in local as well as international markets. He appealed that government planners should take notice of declining exports and support the industry to compete in the international markets.

Cumulative dispatches
During the first four months of current fiscal year, total cement dispatches (domestic and exports) were 18.039Mt, down 6.7 per cent from 19.331Mt in the corresponding period of the last fiscal year. Further analysis indicates that domestic uptake of the commodity slightly increased by 1.1 per cent to 15.882Mt from 15.713Mt during July-October 2020, whereas exports during the same period fell by 40.4 per cent to 2.157Mt from 3.617Mt.