Pakistan’s cement industry started 2026 on a strong note, with total cement dispatches rising 12.54 percent year-on-year in January, mainly due to a sharp recovery in exports, according to data released by the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA).
Total cement dispatches reached 4.538 million tonnes in January, compared to 4.032 million tonnes in the same month last year. While domestic demand showed only modest improvement, exports provided the biggest boost, underlining the industry’s increasing reliance on overseas markets amid uneven construction activity at home.
Local cement sales grew 4.36 percent to 3.601 million tonnes, up from 3.45 million tonnes last year. Exports, however, surged 61.1 percent, rising to 937,097 tonnes from 581,691 tonnes in January 2025.
Regionally, cement mills in the North dispatched 2.95 million tonnes, marking a 4.67 percent increase from 2.818 million tonnes a year earlier. Mills in the South recorded much stronger growth, with total dispatches jumping 30.82 percent to 1.59 million tonnes, largely driven by higher export volumes.
In the domestic market, northern mills outperformed, with local dispatches increasing 6.93 percent to 2.95 million tonnes. In contrast, domestic sales in the South declined 5.87 percent to 651,089 tonnes, reflecting weaker local demand in the region.
Notably, there were no cement exports from northern mills during January. All export shipments came from the South, where volumes climbed 79.41 percent to 937,097 tonnes, compared with 522,336 tonnes in the same month last year.
The strong January performance continues the positive trend seen during the current fiscal year. In the first seven months of FY2026 (July–January), total cement dispatches rose 10.58 percent to 30.583 million tonnes, up from 27.656 million tonnes in the same period last year.
Domestic dispatches during this period increased 12.36 percent to 25.015 million tonnes, compared with 22.264 million tonnes, indicating a gradual recovery in local consumption. Export dispatches edged up 3.26 percent to 5.568 million tonnes, from 5.392 million tonnes a year earlier.
Northern mills continued to dominate the domestic market, dispatching 20.895 million tonnes, an increase of 13.67 percent. However, their exports fell 23.13 percent to 808,506 tonnes, down from 1.052 million tonnes last year. Overall, total dispatches from the North still rose 11.68 percent to 21.704 million tonnes.
Southern mills posted steady gains, with domestic dispatches rising 6.12 percent to 4.12 million tonnes, while exports increased 9.66 percent to 4.759 million tonnes. As a result, total dispatches from the South grew 7.99 percent to 8.879 million tonnes during the period.
