Cement exports via sea continue to decline; sliding in first ten months of the current fiscal year by 17.27 percent to India and 31.68 percent to other destinations, clinker exports through sea have also declined by 34.57 percent, as compared with the corresponding period last year.
It has been claimed in an official statement released by the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers' Association (APCMA) here on Wednesday. APCMA statistics revealed that cement exports to India, which amounted to 0.564 million tons in the July-April period last fiscal, have slumped to 0.466 million tons in July-April 2011. Similarly, export of cement to other countries declined from 4.755 million tons to 3.249 million tons and clinker export from 0.244 million tons to 0.160 million tons.
Exports to Afghanistan, however, increased by 16.85 percent during this period from 3.235 million tons to 3.780 million tons. The increase in exports to Afghanistan carry a big question mark in the absence of effective monitoring, as some circles allege that a large part of the commodity meant for exports is finding its way in the local market because of obvious tax arbitrage by unscrupulous elements, the statement said.
It was mentioned that total cement despatches 25.722 million tons during July-April, in the ten months of current fiscal year whereas, the local consumption stood at 18.06 million tons, which was 6.76 percent lower than the consumption during corresponding period of last year and is reflective of the weak performance of the economy with moribund growth in the GDP.
On the other hand, the exports stood at 7.656 million tons during July-April, 2010-11 against 8.799 million tons during the same period of 2009-10. However, local cement dispatches surprisingly increased in April 2011 by 2.78 percent when compared with April 2010, said the statement.
The cement despatches remained lopsided in the country with 19 cement units are situated in the Northern part of the country posting a decline of 11.12 percent in the first ten months of current fiscal amounting to 14.757 million tons, whereas the 5 operational cement mills in the South dispatched 3.308 million tons, which was 19.28 percent higher than dispatches during the same period last year, statement revealed.