Data released by All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers’ Association (APCMA) shows that Cement sector growth increased in the month of January with total despatch of 4.074 million tons; an increase of 11.26 percent from 3.662 million tons during the same month last year. The domestic consumption has been increased by 5.95 percent to 3.265 million tons in January 2020 from 3.082 million tons in January 2019. The exports have registered another impressive increase of 39.49 percent from 0.579 million tons in January 2019 to 0.808 million tons in January2020. As the domestic growth is entirely led by the North based plants while the exports are led by mills based in South, the statics show a gradual increase in exports for January 2020. With gradual rise and fall, the phenomenon of cement exports being more than local despatches has strengthened for South based mills. In exports the North based mills continued to show decline by 5.08 percent with exports of 1.606 million tons in January 2020 compared with exports of 1.692 million tons in January 2019. In short, the less than expected and nominal increase in the cement despatches and continuous decline in local despatches from South is worrisome for the industry, the increase in exports depicts the competitiveness of cement industry that has delivered in line with the decline in rupee value.
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