According to data released by the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA), local cement dispatches for April 2025 reached 2.52Mt, up from 2.34Mt in April 2024, marking a modest increase of 7.64 per cent. In contrast, export dispatches experienced a significant growth of 34.56 per cent, rising from 614,214t in April 2024 to 826,457t in April 2025.
Overall cement dispatches for April 2025 totalled 3.34Mt, compared to 2.95Mt in the same month of the previous fiscal year, reflecting an increase of 13.24 per cent.
In April 2025, northern cement mills dispatched 2.24Mt of cement, a 7.22 per cent increase compared to 2.088Mt in April 2024. southern mills dispatched 1.10Mt of cement, 27.81 per cent more than the 863,327t in April 2024.
Northern mills sent 2.12Mt of cement to domestic markets in April 2025, up 9.39 per cent from 1.94Mt in April 2024. Conversely, southern mills dispatched 391,445t in local markets during April 2025, a decrease of 0.95 per cent from 395,199t in April 2024.
Exports from North-based mills fell by 21.64 per cent, dropping from 146,086t in April 2024 to 114,467t in April 2025. However, exports from South-based mills increased by 52.09 per cent, rising to 711,990t in April 2025 from 468,128t in the same month last year.
During the 10MFY25, total cement dispatches (domestic and exports) amounted to 37.336Mt, 0.32 per cent lower than the 37.454Mt dispatched during the previous fiscal year. Domestic dispatches during this period were 29.98Mt, compared to 31.74Mt in the last year, reflecting a decrease of 5.55 per cent. Conversely, export dispatches increased by 28.77 per cent to 7.36Mt during the first ten months of the current fiscal year, up from 5.71Mt in the last fiscal year.
Northern mills dispatched 24.915Mt of cement domestically during 10MFY2, a reduction of 4.82 per cent from 26.178Mt dispatched from July 2023 to April 2024. Exports from the north rose by 4.13 per cent to 1.234Mt during the same period, compared to 1.185Mt exported in the previous year. Total dispatches by northern mills decreased by 4.44 per cent to 26.150Mt during 10MF25, down from 27.364Mt during the last financial year.
From July 2024 to April 2025, domestic dispatches by southern mills reached 5.062Mt, an 8.98 per cent decline from the 5.562Mt dispatched during the last fiscal year. Exports from the south, however, increased by 35.22 per cent to 6.124Mt during the same period, compared to 4.53Mt in the previous year. Total dispatches by southern mills grew by 10.86 per cent, reaching 11.19Mt during 10MFY25, up from 10.09Mt in the last fiscal year.
A spokesman for the APCMA stated that the healthy export rise this year is encouraging. However, the industry’s recovery is constrained by low domestic demand, leaving approximately one-third of its capacity idle. He urged the government to implement industry-friendly measures in the upcoming budget to stimulate construction activities in the country, enhance the competitiveness of local cement in the global market, and create more export opportunities.
Commenting on the APCMA’s dispatch data, Usama Rauf of AKD Securities Ltd stated that the YoY increase in local dispatches was due to last year's low base when sales were impacted by the Eid holidays. At the same time, the MoM decline was driven by seasonal factors, as construction activity typically slows during the wheat harvest season. Meanwhile, North exports declined due to disruptions across the border, whereas exports from the South remained elevated amid improved export viability driven by declining coal prices.
By Abdul Rab Siddiqi, Pakistan
