A remarkable turnaround has occurred in Pakistan’s local cement sales, which have increased noticeably by 9 percent to reach 3.433 million tonnes compared to last year. This increase portends a significant nationwide uptick in infrastructure and construction activity.

The cement industry has recovered from a protracted period of stagnation with an outstanding 19 percent growth. It has surpassed the numbers from the previous year. According to the survey, there were 3.966 million tonnes in total shipments in May 2023. This is a considerable increase from the same month of the previous fiscal year.

The export dispatches in May 2023 had a stunning surge of 210.13 percent, reaching previously unheard-of heights. Compared to the 171,915 tonnes reported in May 2022, volumes increased to 533,155 tonnes. In the same week, the northern region’s cement mills shipped 2.880 million tonnes, an increase of 8.85 percent from the 2.646 million tonnes shipped in May 2022. In May 2023, mills in the southern region shipped 1.086 million tonnes of cement. A significant increase of 60.77 percent from the 0.676 million tonnes shipped in May 2022.

The domestic markets in the northern region’s cement mills also grew; they shipped 2.768 million tonnes of cement sales in May 2023, up 7.58 percent from the 2.573 million tonnes sent in May 2022. Similarly, mills in the southern region sent 664,891 tonnes of cement to regional markets in May 2023. A 15.36 percent increase over the 576,385 tonnes shipped in May 2022.

Exports from the northern region climbed from 72,450 tonnes in May 2022 to 111,451 tonnes in May 2023, a 53.83 percent increase. Additionally, the southern region saw a considerable increase in exports of 323.97 percent, from 99,465 tonnes in May 2022 to 421,704 in May 2023.

In the first eleven months of the current fiscal year, the northern mills shipped 29.925 million tonnes of cement domestically. A 15.27 percent decline from the 35.316 million tonnes of cement shipped domestically from July to May 2022.

However, compared to the previous year’s period, exports from the northern region climbed by 19.69%. Hitting 974,126 tonnes between July and May 2023, as opposed to 813,902 tonnes.