KARACHI, April 26: Lucky Cement has earned a profit before tax of Rs813 million during the July-March 2004-05 compared to Rs664 million in the corresponding period of last fiscal, up by 22.5 per cent. Sales increased to 1,019,299 tons during the nine months as compared to 769,384 tons of the same period last year. The company exported 200,558 tons of cement during the period under review as compared to 52,984 tons of the corresponding period of last year. It was able to increase its share in total cement export of the country to 18.5 per cent from 6.8 per cent.

Lucky Cement Executive Director A.R. Thaplawala in a statement said that the company was able to achieve a growth of 32pc in its despatches compared to average growth of 17 per cent achieved by the cement industry in Pakistan during the nine months ended March 31, 2005.

“The company’s progress and expansion projects both at Pezu and Karachi are ahead of schedule. The production facility at Pezu plant is partially expected to come by the end of July this year and will start full production by the end of January 2006,” he said.