KARACHI: Constru­ction activities slightly improved as cement sales rose 7 per cent to 3.065 million tonnes in February compared to 2.869m in the corresponding period last year.

Export despatches rose 34.30pc to 531,736 tonnes from 395,935 tonnes in February 2024.

The All Pakistan Cement Manu­facturers Asso­ciation (APCMA) data showed total cement despatches were up 10.15pc to 3.596m tonnes against 3.265m tonnes in the same month last year.

During 8MFY25, total cement despatches (domestic and exports) were 30.423m tonnes, which is 0.45pc lower than 30.560m tonnes during the corresponding period of the last fiscal year.

Domestic despatches during this period were 24.5m tonnes as against 26.06m tonnes during the same period last year, down by 6pc.

Export despatches during this period increased by 32pc as the quantities increased to 5.924mn tonnes from 4.495m tonnes in 8MFY24.

A spokesman for APCMA expects industry-friendly measures by the government in the upcoming budget to increase the sector’s capacity utilisation.

Nasheed Malik of Topline Securities expects improved cement sales in the rest of FY25 due to lower interest rates. The average retail price in February decreased by 4pc in the north region and remained flat in the south, according to data from the PBS.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2025