LAHORE – Cement dispatches in Pakistan declined by 12.58 per cent in June 2024.
Total cement dispatches during June 2024 were 3.552 million tonnes as compared with 4.063 million tonnes during the same month of last fiscal year.
According to the data released by the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA), local cement dispatches during June 2024 were 3.079 million tonnes as compared to 3.487 million tonnes in June 2023, showing a decline of 11.69 per cent. Exports also declined by 17.95 per cent as the volumes reduced from 576,309 tonnes in June 2023 to 472,865 tonnes in June 2024.
In June 2024, north based mills dispatched 2.723 million tonnes cement, showing a decline of 7.71 per cent against 2.950 million tonnes in June 2023. South based mills dispatched 829,582 tonnes cement during June 2024 that was 25.47 per cent less compared to 1.113 million tonnes during June 2023.
North based mills dispatched 2.614 million tonnes cement in domestic markets in June 2024, showing a decline of 8.45 per cent against 2.855 million tonnes in June 2023. South based mills dispatched 465,578 tonnes cement in local markets during June 2024 that was 26.34 per cent less compared to 632,093 during June 2023.
Exports from north based mills increased by 14.19 per cent as the quantities increased from 95,333 tonnes in June 2023 to 108,861 tonnes in June 2024. Exports from south reduced by 24.32 per cent to 364,004 tonnes in June 2024 from 480,976 tonnes during same month last year.
During the fiscal year ended 30th June, 2024, total cement dispatches (domestic and exports) were 45.291 million tons that is 1.6 per cent more than 44.579 million tonnes during last fiscal year. Domestic dispatches in this period were 38.181 million tonnes against 40.013 million tonnes during last year, showing a reduction of 4.58 per cent.
Exports showed massive increase by 55.71 per cent as the volumes jumped to 7.11 million tonnes during the fiscal year ended 30th June, 2024 compared to 4.566 million tonnes during last fiscal year.
North based mills dispatched 31.545 million tonnes cement domestically during the fiscal year ended 30th June, 2024, showing a reduction of 3.76 per cent than 32.776 million tonnes during July-June 2023. Exports from north increased by 36.23 per cent to 1.457 million tonnes during July-June 2024 compared with 1.069 million tonnes during the same period last year.
Total dispatches by north based mills reduced by 2.49 per cent to 33.002 million tonnes during fiscal year ended 30th June, 2024 from 33.846 million tonnes during last fiscal year. Domestic dispatches by south based mills during July-June 2024 were 6.636 million tonnes, showing reduction of 8.3 per cent over 7.237 million tonnes during the same period of last fiscal year.
Exports from south increased by 61.67 per cent to 5.652 million tonnes during July-June 2024, compared with 3.496 million tonnes during the same period last year. Total dispatches by south based mills increased by 14.49 per cent to 12.289 million tonnes during fiscal year ended 30th June, 2024 from 10.734 million tonnes during last fiscal year.
APCMA spokesman said that decline in cement uptake during the last fiscal year calls for serious attention from policy makers. He said that the situation calls for lowering duties and taxes on cement, but on the contrary, the government has increased excise duty from Rs2000/- per tonne to Rs4,000/- per tonne in budget 2024-25 that is likely to dampen the demand further.
