Cement sales rise 19% as demand grows

Total dispatches reach 3.97 million tons in May

LAHORE:

The demand for cement grew in May 2023 as sales surged 19.41% and reached 3.966 million tons compared to dispatches of 3.321 million tons in the same month of last year.

According to data released by the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association, local cement sales by the industry came in at 3.433 million tons in May 2023, up 9.01% from sales of 3.150 million tons in May 2022.

Exports rose by a healthy 210.13% where volumes reached 533,155 tons in May 2023 against 171,915 tons in the corresponding month of last year.

Cement mills in the north dispatched 2.880 million tons to domestic and overseas markets, which was 8.85% higher than the dispatches of 2.646 million tons in May last year.

South-based mills sold 1.086 million tons, up 60.77% as compared to sales of 0.676 million tons in the previous year.

Northern mills supplied 2.768 million tons to domestic markets in May 2023, showing an increase of 7.58% against 2.573 million tons in May 2022. On the other hand, southern mills supplied 664,891 tons to local markets, which was 15.36% higher than the dispatches of 576,385 tons last year.

In the first 11 months (July-May) of current fiscal year, total cement dispatches, including both domestic sales and exports, stood at 40.518 million tons, down 14.93% than supplies of 47.627 million tons in the corresponding period of last year.

Domestic dispatches during the 11-month period were 36.528 million tons against 42.655 million tons last year, registering a reduction of 14.36%.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 2^nd, 2023.

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