Domestic cement dispatches in Pakistan during February 2014 increased by 8.7% y/y compared with February 2013, totalling 2.135 million t – the highest figure ever recorded.
A spokesperson for the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) told local press that cement producers are experiencing strong demand from the domestic market. In northern Pakistan local dispatches increased to 1.76 million t in February 2014, compared to an average of 1.67 million t recorded during the previous seven months of the current fiscal year. In the south, domestic dispatches stood at 369 000 t in February 2014, against average monthly dispatches of 349 000 t from July 2013 to January 2014. However, during the same month exports witnessed a slight decline. Exports from the northern region decreased to 381 000 t from 445 000 t in February 2013 and southern exports fell to 202 000 t, compared to 209 000 t in the same month a year earlier.
During the first eight months of the current fiscal year, local cement sales reached 16.274 million t (the highest ever recorded), representing an increase of 2.9% y/y compared with 15.814 million t in the first eight months of the last fiscal year. Total exports fell by 2.01% y/y to 5.292 million t during the first eight months of the current year, against 5.4 million t during the corresponding period of the last fiscal year. During the same period, exports to the Afghan market decreased to 2.487 million t, a 15.29% y/y decrease. However, exports to other countries by sea rose to 2.513 million t compared to 2.193 million t during the first eight months of the last fiscal year, representing a 14.6% y/y increase.
