Lahore: The All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) released a report revealing that cement exports witnessed a boost of 48.46% as the export volume hiked to 438,433 tonnes in March 2023 against 295,321 tonnes in March 2022, according to news published on April 3.
Read: APCMA records drop in cement demand during February, shares statistics
As per the report, the total cement sales in March 2023 stood at 3.795 million tonnes against sales of 5 million tonnes recorded in March 2022 – which shows a decline of 24%. The local cement sales by the industry were recorded at 3.356 million tonnes as compared to 4.710 million tonnes sold in March last year, which shows a decline of 28.75%.
During March 22023, the north-base cement plants sold 2.82 million tonnes of cement, with a decline of 28.22% on a year-on-year (YoY) basis. Similarly, the South-based plants sold 374,467 tonnes of cement in March 2023, with a 9.48% decline as compared to figures recorded in March 2022. In the local market, the North and South-based cement mills witnessed a 29.33% and 26.14% decline (respectively) in March 2023, as compared to the same period last year.
Read: Cement sector registers mild growth in Jan 23
The report mentioned that exports from Northern mills hiked by 24.63% and that of Southern mills hiked by 57.40% in March 2023, as compared to March 2022. An APCMA spokesperson associated the dip in sales with the construction activities in the northern and southern regions being slowed down. He said the turmoil in the economic situation is affecting the construction and allied industries.