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Cement sales in Pakistan declined by 7 percent in September 2022 as total cement sales during September 2022 were recorded at 4.276 million tonnes as against 4.589 million tonnes in the same month last fiscal.

According to data released by the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association, local sales of cement during September stood at 3.80 million tonnes compared to 4.01 million tonnes in the same month of the previous year, a decline of 5.33 percent. Exports also fell by 17.35 percent as volumes decreased from 571,613 tonnes in September 2021 to 472,437 tonnes in September 2022.

In September 2022, cement plants in the north sold 3.26 million tons of cement, down 8.34 percent from the 3.56 million tons sold in September 2021. Plants in the south sold 1.01 million tons of cement in September 2022, down by 1.58 percent less compared to sales of 1.02 million tons in September 2021. Northern cement plants sold 3.13 million tons of cement domestically in September 2022, down 9.08 percent from the 3.45 million tons sold in September 2021.

Plants in the south sold 666,595 tonnes of cement in local markets during September 2022, up 17.47 percent compared to sales of 567,445 tonnes in September 2021.

Exports from northern plants increased by 14.75 percent as volumes increased from 110,245 tons in September 2021 to 126,502 tons in September 2022. Exports from the south decreased by 25.02 percent in September 2022 to 345,935 tons in September 2022 from 368 to 461 tons during the same month.

During the first three months of the current fiscal year, total cement sales (both domestic and export) were recorded at 9.613 million tonnes, down 25.04 percent from 12.825 million tonnes in the same period last fiscal year.

Domestic sales during the period stood at 8.599 million tonnes compared to 11.279 million tonnes in the same period last year, a decrease of 23.76 percent. Exports were also down 34.44 percent as volumes fell to 1.013 million tonnes during the first three months of the current fiscal compared to 1.545 million tonnes of exports in the same period last fiscal.

North-based Mills sold 7.258 million tonnes of cement domestically in the first three months of the current fiscal year, down 23.46 percent from 9.483 million tonnes during July-September 2021.

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Exports from the north fell 25.53 percent to 288,712 tonnes during July-September 2022, compared to 387,667 tonnes exported in the same period last year. North-based Mills" total sales during the first quarter of the current fiscal year declined by 23.54 percent to 7.547 million tonnes from 9.871 million tonnes in the same period last fiscal year.

The South-based Mills" domestic sales during July-September 2022 stood at 1.341 million tonnes, down 25.31 percent from the 1.795 million tonnes of cement sold during the same period last fiscal. Exports from the south fell 37.43 percent to 724,682 tonnes during July-September 2022, compared to 1.158 million tonnes exported in the same period last year. South-based Mills" total sales during the first quarter of the current fiscal year declined by 30.06 percent to 2.065 million tonnes from 2.953 million tonnes in the same period last fiscal year.

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A spokesperson of the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association expressed serious concern over the strict restrictions on the establishment of letters of credit by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) for spare parts and other machinery. The government must immediately relax the conditions for opening letters of credit as without spare parts, cement plants will face operational difficulties, the spokesman added.