Cement sales drop in Pakistan despite export boost during FY 2024-25

Pakistan’s cement industry saw a drop in local sales during the 2024–25 financial year, but exports showed a strong rise, helping the overall performance of the sector, according to the latest report shared by the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA).

Domestic demand remained weak over the year, with local cement sales falling from 38.181 million tons in 2023–24 to 37.017 million tons in 2024–25, showing a decline of 3.05 percent.

Experts believe this is due to low construction activity and the overall economic slowdown in the country.

In contrast, cement exports rose sharply. The industry exported 9.204 million tons during the year, up from 7.11 million tons last year, a rise of 29.46 percent.

This boost in exports helped total cement sales grow slightly by 2.05 percent, reaching 46.221 million tons compared to 45.291 million tons last year.

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In June 2025 alone, local sales dropped to 2.597 million tons from 3.079 million tons in June 2024, marking a decline of 15.65 percent.

However, exports in June jumped by 81.7 percent, going from 472,865 tons to 859,204 tons. Even with the strong export numbers, overall cement sales in June fell slightly by 2.69 percent from the same month last year.

Looking at regional data, northern factories sold 2.445 million tons of cement in June 2025, which was 10.21 percent less than the previous June.

Local sales in the north were down by 14.43 percent, but exports from this region nearly doubled, reaching 207,975 tons an increase of 91.05 percent.

In the south, the situation was mixed. South-based plants sold 1.01 million tons of cement in June, up by 21.99 percent compared to June 2024.

Local sales, however, dropped by 22.5 percent to 360,814 tons, while exports rose sharply by 78.91 percent, hitting 651,229 tons.

For the full year, north-based factories sold 30.726 million tons locally, which was 2.6 percent less than the 31.545 million tons sold the previous year.

Their exports increased by 15.56 percent to 1.684 million tons. In total, northern cement dispatches were slightly lower, dropping by 1.79 percent to 32.410 million tons.

In the south, domestic sales also went down from 6.636 million tons last year to 6.291 million tons this year, a drop of 5.21 percent.

But exports saw major growth, rising by 33.04 percent to 7.519 million tons. Total cement dispatches from the south grew by 12.38 percent, reaching 13.811 million tons.

The APCMA has expressed concern about the falling local demand. They urged the government of Pakistan to cut taxes and duties on cement, calling it a basic necessity, not a luxury.

The association added that stronger local sales would help keep factories running, create jobs, support related industries, and bring more income for the country.