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KARACHI: Cement dispatches in Pakistan fell for the fourth month in a row in October, coming in at 4.25Mt, compared to 5.22Mt in October 2021, down 18.5 per cent.
According to the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association, local dispatches declined 15.5 per cent YoY from 4.6Mt in October 2021 to 3.89Mt in the same month this year. Exports fell by 40.7 per cent over the same period from 611,378t to 362,350t.
According to data gathered by MM News, the cement sector reported a robust sales growth of 20.12% in fiscal year 2020-21 mainly on the back of normalisation of construction activities due to a relief package announced by Prime Minister Imran Khan coupled with progress on the Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme.
In that same year, total sales of cement came in at 57.4 million tons during the just-ended fiscal year against 47.812 million tons in fiscal year 2019-20, while Cement exports rose from 7.85 million tons in FY20 to 9.31 million tons in FY21, registering a growth of 18.69%.
Commenting on present situation, All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association has expressed grave concerns over the continuous decline in cement demand and the rising input costs. It emphasised that the government should devise industry-friendly policies so that industry product is competitive.
According to details provided by All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association, Cement mills based in the north of Pakistan dispatched 3.27Mt of cement in October this year, down 16.2 per cent from 3.9Mt in October 2021. Domestic shipments stood at 3.14Mt in October 2022, down 17.9 per cent on the 3.83Mt seen in October 2021. Exports from mills in the north advanced 79.4 per cent from 73,102t in October 2021 to 131,111t in October this year.
Cement mills in the south dispatched 978,166t in October this year, marking a contraction of 25.3 per cent from the 1.31Mt seen in October 2021. Southern mills shipped 746,927t to the local market in October this year, down 3.2 per cent from the 771,755t reported in the same month a year earlier. Exports from southern mills fell by 57 per cent over the same period, from 538,276t to 231,239t.
Over the first four months of the current fiscal year (July-October 2022), total cement dispatches in Pakistan came in at 13.87Mt, down 23.1 per cent YoY from 18.04Mt. Domestic shipments over the same period declined by 21.35 per cent from 15.88Mt to 12.49Mt. Exports were down 35.9 per cent from 2.15Mt to 1.38Mt.
North-based mills in the first four months of the current fiscal year dispatched a total of 10.82Mt, down 21.5 per cent YoY from 13.77Mt. Mills based in the south shipped 3.05Mt in July-October 2022, a decline of 28.4 per cent YoY from 4.26Mt. Exports in the north came in at 419,283t in the first four months of the current fiscal year, down 8.9 per cent YoY, while exports from the south fell 43.3 per cent to 961,581t over the same period.
