According to data released by the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA), local cement dispatches in March 2025 stood at 2.961 million tons, compared to 3.338 million tons in March 2024, marking a decline of 11.31 percent.
Export dispatches remained largely flat, with 608,614 tons exported in March 2025 compared to 605,142 tons in the same month last year.
Total cement dispatches for March 2025 were recorded at 3.569 million tons, compared to 3.944 million tons in March 2024, reflecting a 9.48 percent decrease year over year.
Regarding regional performance, North-based cement mills dispatched 2.450 million tons in March 2025, a drop of 14.54 percent from 2.866 million tons in March 2024. South-based mills, however, showed marginal growth, dispatching 1.12 million tons—an increase of 3.96 percent compared to 1.07 million tons in March 2024.
Domestically, North-based mills dispatched 2.431 million tons of cement in March 2025, down 11.33 percent from 2.742 million tons in March 2024. South-based mills dispatched 529,750 tons to local markets, reflecting a decline of 11.23 percent from 596,751 tons during the same period last year.
Export activity saw contrasting trends. Exports from North-based mills plummeted by 85.15 percent, falling from 124,672 tons in March 2024 to just 18,508 tons in March 2025. In contrast, South-based exports rose by 22.82 percent to 590,106 tons, up from 480,470 tons a year earlier.
During the first nine months of the current fiscal year (July 2024 to March 2025), total cement dispatches—domestic and exports—stood at 33.993 million tons, representing a 1.48 percent decrease compared to 34.503 million tons in the same period of the previous year. Domestic dispatches declined by 6.61 percent to 27.461 million tons from 29.403 million tons, while export dispatches rose by 28.08 percent to 6.532 million tons from 5.10 million tons during the same period last year.
North-based mills dispatched 22.791 million tons domestically during July–March 2025, reflecting a 5.96 percent decline from 24.236 million tons in the same period last year. North-based exports increased by 7.76 percent to 1.12 million tons, up from 1.039 million tons a year ago. Total dispatches from North-based mills fell by 5.40 percent to 23.911 million tons from 25.276 million tons in the same period of the previous fiscal year.
South-based mills dispatched 4.669 million tons domestically during July–March 2025, down 9.63 percent from 5.167 million tons a year earlier. However, exports from the South increased sharply by 33.28 percent, reaching 5.419 million tons compared to 4.061 million tons in the same period last year. Total dispatches from South-based mills rose by 9.26 percent to 10.081 million tons, up from 9.227 million tons.
A spokesperson for the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association emphasized that cement is an essential commodity that plays a pivotal role in the national economy.
“It provides direct and indirect employment to thousands of skilled and unskilled workers, and stimulates many allied industries as well,” the spokesperson said. “We are optimistic that policymakers will consider reducing taxes and duties on cement in the upcoming budget to make the commodity more affordable for the masses, thereby increasing domestic off-take,” he added.
