Karachi: The All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) on Wednesday (April 06) announced that after the slump experienced in cement sales during the last few months, the local cement dispatches have recovered 4% in March, according to news sources.
As per the association, the sales in March totalled 4.74 million tonnes, as compared to 4.56 million tonnes recorded last year. The shared data also showed that exports in March have fallen by 64% as compared to last year and as a result, overall despatches (exports and local sales) in the same month have fallen by 6.25% when compared with last year’s figures.
An APCMA spokesperson stated that the steep decline in cement exports is incurring losses for the cement manufacturers, government revenue collection and foreign exchange. The spokesperson stressed for the need for an industry-friendly policy to help boost sales in international market and increase its indigenous consumption.
Mehroz Khan at Top Line Securities associated the spike in sales with seasonal patterns and construction activities’ resumption after the winter season. He also said that local sales in nine months of the fiscal year (FY) 2021-22 were slow due to factors like rising construction costs, cuts in public sector development programme allocation and inflation. Mr Khan associated the dip in exports of cement with sea freight charges’ increase due to global supply chain disruptions.
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