Cement exports surpass 10 million tons mark

[Naveed Yaseen]

RIZWAN BHATTI
KARACHI (June 09 2009): The country's cement exports have registered a healthy growth of 50 percent to reach all time high level of 10 million tons during eleven months of the current fiscal year 2008-09 on account of rising international demand, industry sources said.

They said that easy availability of raw material and regional cement shortages played a key role in achieving landmark of highest ever cement exports, while enhancing production capacity by the local cement manufacturers is another reason behind this achievement.

"Local cement manufacturers are taking full advantage of regional shortage and with current achievement Pakistan has become the largest cement exporter country of the region," they said. They said that strong external demand from the Persian Gulf countries and neighbour countries like Afghanistan and India had pushed the country's cement exports, which may touch 11 million tons mark by the end of current fiscal year.

Cement exports have posted a robust increase of 49.47 percent to new peak of 10.163 million tons during July-May of current fiscal year as compared to 6.8 million tons in the same period of last fiscal year. Exports during eleven months are also some 37 percent higher than last fiscal year's exports of 7.716 million tons.

Afghanistan and India are two largest importers of Pakistan's cement, besides Gulf countries. Afghanistan imported 2.83 million tons as compared to 2.54 million tons in same period of 2008. India's cement import from Pakistan stood at 0.599 million tons during the period relative to 0.689 million tons of corresponding period of last fiscal year. Cement exports to other countries surged by 121 percent to 5.84 million tons as against 2.64 million tons in the same period of fiscal year 2008.

Meanwhile, local cement dispatches declined by 15 percent to 17.557 million tons during eleven months as compared to 20.64 million tons in the same period of last fiscal year. Huge supply of cement against the low demand decreased the local dispatches in the local market and due to high competition cement companies are decreasing their prices to capture the market, industry sources said.

http://www.brecorder.com/index.php?id=921173