A momentous growth in cement dispatches has been recorded due to its increased consumption in ongoing hydro power projects, such as Suki Kinari, Dasu and Karoot power projects and construction activities in private sector projects. The latest data of Large Scale Manufacturing Index displays that during July-October 2020-21, cement industry has witnessed 23.51 percent growth – 16.43 million tons compared to 13.303 million tons for the same period a year before. Currently several hydro power projects are under construction and cement consumption on these projects spillways work, power houses and pillars filling has increased significantly. Due to excavation and general work at Mohmand Dam, around 25,000 tons of cement has been used at the rate of 2,000 tons per month. There was an increase in demand of cement dispatches subsequent to construction activities especially in three major cities namely Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore by the private sector. Ministry of Finance has stated that in order to alleviate the negative impact of COVID-19 on daily wagers, the government has announced a special package for construction sector with the cement dispatches surged by 16.8 percent to 23.84 million tons. The month-on month average growth also remained positive. The yearly comparison showed that cement production in July 2021 was 37.8 percent.
