Local cement dispatches highest ever

Record-breaking growth of 2.9% during the first eight months, says APCMA.

LAHORE: Local cement dispatches during February, 2014 were 2.135 million tons which are the highest ever in history, depicting a growth of 8.70% compared with the corresponding month of last year.

Revealing the performance of the cement sector, All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association spokesman said that during the first eight months of the current fiscal, local cement dispatches stood at 16.274 million tons, highest ever, depicting a growth of 2.9% compared with the corresponding period of the last fiscal year during which the local dispatches were 15.814 million tons.

“We are getting healthy demands from the domestic market,” he said, adding that during February, the local dispatches increased to 1.76 million tons on average in the northern areas against an average of 1.67 million tons during the previous seven months of the current fiscal. In the southern region, the local dispatches were 369,000 tons during February 14 compared with 349,000 tons average dispatches per month from July 13 to January 14.

During the month of February 2014, exports from north declined to 381,000 tons against 445,000 tons during the same month last year. Exports from south also declined to 202,000 tons during February 2014 against 209,000 tons during the corresponding month last year. Total exports from the country declined by 2.01%, counting to 5.292 million tons during the first eight months of current fiscal year compared to 5.400 million tons during the same period of last fiscal year.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 6^th, 2014.

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