Pakistan’s cement industry continued to feel the pinch of declining local consumption as total despatches in March 2025 dropped by nearly 9.5 per cent year-on-year, according to the latest data released by the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA).
Cement despatches during March fell to 3.569 million tons compared to 3.944 million tons in the same month last year, reflecting a slowdown that is largely being attributed to weak domestic demand.
Local sales stood at 2.961 million tons in March 2025, down 11.31 per cent from 3.338 million tons during March 2024. Export volumes, however, showed little change, inching up by 0.57 per cent to 608,614 tons from 605,142 tons during the corresponding month last year.
A deeper look into the regional performance shows a mixed picture. Cement mills based in the North despatched 2.450 million tons in March, registering a year-on-year decline of 14.54 per cent. Domestic sales from the North alone fell by 11.33 per cent to 2.431 million tons from 2.742 million tons. Exports from the region took a massive hit, dropping 85.15 per cent to just 18,508 tons compared to 124,672 tons in March 2024.
On the other hand, South-based mills fared slightly better. They collectively despatched 1.12 million tons, up by 3.96 per cent compared to 1.07 million tons during the same month last year. However, their domestic sales dropped by 11.23 per cent to 529,750 tons from 596,751 tons. Exports from the South increased by 22.82 per cent, rising to 590,106 tons from 480,470 tons.
Cumulatively, during the first nine months of the current fiscal year (July–March), total cement despatches — combining both domestic and export sales — reached 33.993 million tons. This marks a marginal decline of 1.48 per cent from 34.503 million tons during the same period of last fiscal year.
The domestic market remained under pressure, with sales sliding by 6.61 per cent to 27.461 million tons from 29.403 million tons last year. In contrast, export despatches saw a notable improvement, rising 28.08 per cent to 6.532 million tons from 5.10 million tons.
Regionally, North-based mills despatched 22.791 million tons locally, reflecting a 5.96 per cent drop from 24.236 million tons in the same nine-month period last year. Their exports rose by 7.76 per cent to 1.12 million tons compared to 1.039 million tons previously, but total despatches still dipped by 5.40 per cent to 23.911 million tons from 25.276 million tons.
Meanwhile, South-based mills saw their domestic despatches shrink by 9.63 per cent to 4.669 million tons from 5.167 million tons. However, the region posted a sharp 33.28 per cent jump in exports, which surged to 5.419 million tons from 4.061 million tons. This helped South-based mills record an overall growth of 9.26 per cent in total despatches, reaching 10.081 million tons compared to 9.227 million tons during the same period last year.
Commenting on the current state of the industry, a spokesperson for the APCMA said cement remains a vital component of the economy, offering both direct and indirect employment to a large workforce and supporting various allied sectors.
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