The News reported that cement exports registered a growth of 15.40% inFebruary as compared to the corresponding month last fiscal year but the
local sales remained almost stagnant up by 1.16% and resulted in lowergrowth as compared to January.
According to industry experts, Pakistan s overall cement despatchesreached 21.207 million tonnes in the first 8 months of this fiscal yearwhich is 4.01% higher than the sales recorded during the correspondingperiod of the last fiscal year. The growth is not enough to provide comfortto the cement manufacturers.
A spokesman for the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association inFebruary said that the cement units located in the Northern part of the country despatched 1.556 million tons of cement for domestic market and exported 0.444 million tonnes most of it to Afghanistan and otherdestinations through sea, while exports to India were only 0.032 million tonnes.
The South based mills provided the domestic market with 0.397 million tonnes of cement while its exports were 0.209 million tonnes. The total cement despatches in February was 2.610 million tonnes which was nominally lower than January despatches of 2.646 million tonnes.
Industry people expressed hope on economic revival to spur cement consumption after the elections.The cement industry was established to fulfil the local demand based on the projections of growth in 2003.
Unfortunately, the growth remained much below the projections after 2008 that resulted in huge idle capacities. India was not in the feasibilities when the industries were planned, he said. However after thaw in relations between the two countries, it looked like the best prospect for cement exports. Much has been said about the impediments to exports to India most of which need action from the Indian side.
