Cement sales continue downward trend
Domestic cement sales continued to face a downward trend owing to slowdown in construction activities, with dispatches during October and the July-October period shrinking by 0.49 per cent and 15pc, respectively, compared to the same period last year. According to data released by the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA), cement dispatches last month were 3.276 million tonnes while the figure for October last year 3.292m tonnes. On the other hand, exports rose by 51.29pc — from 714,325 tonnes in October last year to 1.080m tonnes last month. Total cement dispatches (local and exports) during Oct 2024 clocked in at 4.357m tones, as against 4.006m tonnes during the same month of the last fiscal year — a jump of 8.74pc.