Pakistan recorded a massive growth of 57.44 per cent in cement dispatches in July 2023, when total cement dispatches made a figure of 3.212 Mt against 2.040 Mt dispatched during the same month of the last fiscal year. According to the data released by the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association APCMA), local cement dispatches by the industry during July 2023 were 2.776Mt compared to 1.887Mt in July 2022, showing an increase of 47.15 per cent. Export dispatches increased by 183.91 per cent as the volumes increased from 153,517t in July 2022 to 435,854t in July 2023.

A spokesman of the APCMA said that the country’s economic stability depends on a stable government. He mentioned that although the start of the current fiscal year looks good compared to last year, the domestic dispatches in July 2023 were almost 20 per cent less than in June 2023, so there was a decline compared to last month.

He also expressed concerns over the rising cost of production. The provincial government has increased the royalty rate from PKR 115 per ton to PKR 250t. He added that the electricity rate has also been increased by almost PKR 7.5 per unit, and the recent increase in fuel cost by around PKR 20 per litre has impacted the freight cost. He was positive that this fiscal year would be better for the sector due to expected investments in large-scale projects.

In July 2023, North-based cement mills dispatched 2.473Mt of cement, showing an increase of 46.54 per cent against 1.688Mt dispatches in July 2022. South-based mills shipped 739,376t of cement during July 2023, which was 109.61 per cent more than the dispatches of 352,747t during July 2022.

North-based cement mills dispatched 2.351Mt of cement in domestic markets in July 2023, showing an increase of 45.37 per cent against 1.617Mt of dispatches in July 2022. South-based mills sent 425,336t of cement to local markets during July 2023, 57.84 per cent more than the dispatches of 269,477t during July 2022.

Exports from North-based mills increased by 73.41 per cent as the quantities increased from 70,247t in July 2022 to 121,814t in July 2023. Exports from the South also increased by 277.13 per cent to 314,040ts in July 2023 from 83,270t during the same month last year.