Pakistan?s cement manufacturers and exporters during the month of July 2015 exported 469,406 tonnes of cement and earned export revenue of $27.52 million as compared to 508,541 tonne at $30.25 million in June 2015.
This was a fall of 7.7 per cent and 9 per cent in terms of quantity and value, respectively on MoM basis, says data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. But, if compared with data of July 2014 (553,226 toone at $32.60 million) the YoY fall deepened by 15.15 per cent and 15.56 per cent in terms of quantity and value, respectively in dollar terms.
Meanwhile the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) states that exports to Afghanistan slipped by 3.28 per cent to 1,77,900 tonne. Similarly, exports to India saw a negative growth of 31.51 per cent to 42,879 tonne, followed by the rest of the world by 5 per cent.
An APCMA spokesman said that exports declined mainly because of non-tariff barriers erected by the Indian authorities and influx of Iranian cement in Afghanistan. In addition, he also attributed the lower volumes due to cement smuggling through the porous Pakistan-Iran border.
The spokesman added that the association has expressed reservations on various tax measures announced in the 2015-16 federal budget that would hurt investor sentiments in general and will particularly burden cement consumers in the country.