In a statement, a spokesman for the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) pointed out that exports accounted for a small part of overall cement sales as out of total sales of 23.11 million tons in Jul-Dec FY19, domestic sales had a massive share of over 19.557 million tons. ECC allows cement barons to raise prices“When domestic sales go down, the cement manufacturers become fearful because their survival is linked to local demand. The spokesman pointed out that another worrying thing was that the decline in domestic cement consumption was more pronounced in the northern region where most of the cement manufacturing plants were located. “Domestic cement consumption in the north dropped 5.95% to 15.475 million tons in Jul-Dec 2018 compared to 16.455 million tons in Jul-Dec 2017,” he said. Total domestic sales for Dec 2018 dropped to 3.274 million tons from 3.403 million tons in Dec 2017, a decrease of 3.77%.

Source: The Express Tribune January 04, 2019 16:39 UTC