KARACHI: Cement exports during the first eight months of the current fiscal year (from July 2018 to Feb 2019) registered a growth of 52.30pc to 4.65 million tonnes, as compared to 3.05 million tonnes exported in the corresponding period of last year.
According to the data released by the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA), the overall cement exports from the country increased by a healthy 69.07pc on a yearly basis in February 2019. The industry exported 0.51 million tonnes of clinker and cement in Feb 2019, as against the exports of 0.30 million tonnes in Feb 2018.
The southern part of the country, particularly the Sindh region, fared comparatively well as cement exports from the region increased by 185pc from 0.12 million tonnes in Feb 2018 to 0.35 million tonnes in Feb 2019. The local consumption in the region stood at 0.67 million tonnes in Feb 2019 as compared to 0.61 million tonnes in Feb 2018.
On the other hand, mills located in the northern region continued to suffer, as the cement exports from this region, which includes Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, registered a decline of 16pc to 1.86 million tonnes in first eight months of FY19, as against the export of 2.21 million tonnes during the same period of 2018.
