According to data from the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA), total cement dispatches for the first quarter of FY25 (July–September) rose 16.25 per cent year on year to 12.16Mt, compared to 10.46Mt in the same period last year. Domestic dispatches climbed 15.8 per cent YoY to 9.573Mt, while exports surged 20.81 per cent YoY to 2.589Mt.
Month-on-month (MoM) trends showed strong summer growth: dispatches jumped 31.24 per cent MoM in July, followed by 13.47 per cent MoM in August. September saw slower growth, with dispatches up 7.05 per cent YoY to 4.25Mt, versus 3.97Mt a year earlier. Local dispatches in September rose 14.38 per cent YoY to 3.42Mt, though exports fell 15.25 per cent YoY to 831,966t.
Regionally, northern mills posted a 16.41 per cent YoY rise to 3.162Mt, while southern mills declined 13.23 per cent YoY to 1.09Mt. North domestic dispatches grew 17.02 per cent YoY to 2.94Mt, and southern mills managed a marginal 0.1 per cent YoY increase to 476,465t.
Analysts link the surge to stronger construction activity and a 2.4 per cent YoY fall in cement prices, with daily domestic sales averaging 114,000t in September—the highest in 21 months.
By Abdul Rab Siddiqi, Pakistan
