August 3, 2021 (MLN): Despite ongoing PSDP projects and government’s policies to boost construction sector including Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme, the demand for cement has dented by 19.4% YoY in July 2021.
Total Cement despatches in July 2021 were stood at 3.899 million tons against 4.838 million tons the same month of last fiscal year.
This reduction in cement demand is primarily attributable to the Monsoon rains and the pause in construction activities due to Eid-ul-Azha.
Local sales in July 2021 have dropped to 3.45 million tons against 3.95 million tons despatched in July 2020, depicting a decline of 12.66% YoY.
Subsequently, the cement exports recorded a significant decrease of 49% YoY to 452,776 tons in July 2021 compared to 885,255 tons exported in July 2020.
Region-wise data unveiled that domestic cement despatches in the North during June 2021 shrank by 15.81 percent to 2.9 million tons from 3.43 million tons in July 2020. However, the Exports from the North region notably increased by 10.42 percent to 135,618 tons in July 2021 from 122,823 tons in July 2020.
In the South region, domestic cement despatches moved up by 7 percent to 554,442 tons during July 2021 from 517,850 tons in July 2020. Exports from the South, however, witnessed a substantial reduction by 58.4 percent to 317,159 tons in July 2021 from 762,432 tons in July 2020.
