KARACHI, Jan 2: Pakistani cement sales jumped 24 per cent in the first half of fiscal 2007/08 from a year earlier, driven by growing construction demand at home and abroad, an industry official and an analyst told Reuters on Wednesday.

Sales totalled 13.9 million tons for the six months to December, compared with 11.18 million tons in the same period of 2006, said Shahzad Ahmed, secretary-general of the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association.

Exports of cement soared 149 per cent to 2.99 million tons from the 1.20 million tons shipped a year earlier.

“The rise can be attributed to increasing local and export demand due to rising construction activities and regional cement shortages,” said Bilal Hameed, an analyst at JS Global Capital.

Pakistani cement manufacturers have capitalised on a shortage in the region and have started exporting to India.

Pakistan already exports to the Middle East and Afghanistan.

But cement sales for December fell 9.5 per cent to 1.9 million tons from the same month in 2006.

“The decline is due to fewer working days in December 2007 as compared with December 2006 because of Eid and the political turmoil,” said Hameed from JS Global, referring to Eidul Azha on Dec 21.—Reuters