Displaying items by tag: Pakistan
August sales fall by 18% in Pakistan
05 October 2011Pakistan: Cement sales fell to their lowest level in Pakistan since September 2010 in August 2011 to 2.4Mt, down 18% month-on-month. This is the steepest month-on-month fall in sales since 2009.
The key contributors to the decline were heavy rainfall along with lesser working hours during Ramadan. Domestic demand stood at 1.6Mt, down 19% month-on-month. Exports slipped to 714,000t, down 14% month-on-month, hindered by logistical issues in Afghanistan.
However, the floods in 2010 have helped total sales in the 2011/12 fiscal year (which started on 1 July 2011). According to statistics from the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association, sales by Pakistani firms rose by 7% to 5.23Mt in the first two months of the 2011/12 fiscal year from 4.91Mt in the 2010/11 fiscal year.
Analysts expect this monthly trend to reverse on the back of an improvement in weather conditions. Overall cement sales should reach 32.8Mt in the 2011-12 financial year, up 5% from 2010-11, mainly driven by increased domestic demand.
Pakistan sales up year-on-year
26 September 2011Pakistan: The sales of Pakistani cement firms surged by 7% to 5.23Mt in the first two months of the 2011/12 fiscal year (which started on 1 July 2011) from 4.91Mt in the 2010/11 fiscal year, according to statistics from the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA).
The growth in overall dispatches is attributed to the 14% year-on-year upsurge in local dispatches that have reached 3.68Mt, up from 3.24Mt a year earlier. Cement exports fell by 7% to 1.55Mt from 1.67Mt/yr over the same time frame.
Fauji Cement powers Pakistan plant with refuse
09 August 2011Pakistan: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) for Islamabad has made temporary arrangement with Fauji Cement for the disposal of garbage from Sector I-14 of the city to cut pollution. Disposal of garbage has become a major issue for the city and the agreement was carried out in the interests of citizens a CDA official announced.
Fauji Cement has installed a waste processing plant at its site in the Tehsil Fateh Jang region of the Attock District. Here solid waste is processed for the generation of fuel to run the plant using Refuse Derived Fuel technology. As per the agreement, the CDA transports garbage to a nearby green belt whereupon Fauji Cement takes responsibility for segregating the material, taking it to the plant and covering the remaining material with mud.
The CDA official stated that previously the garbage was being disposed of in deep ditches covered with soil but it was an unhygienic and undesirable practice. However, as the Fauji Cement covers the garbage (remains) with mud, there is hardly any adverse impact on the environment. Currently a study is being conducted to gauge the impact of disposal of garbage on the environment in Islamabad.
APCMA appeals to government after losses
13 June 2011Pakistan: All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) has appealed to the government to rescue the ailing cement industry, which has suffered net accumulated losses of USD16.3m during the first nine months of the current fiscal year (which ends 30 June 2011).
A spokesman for the APCMA said that the cement industry suffered losses mainly due to rapid increase in input prices like coal, furnace oil, electricity, paper bags, interest rate, diesel and transportation. He said that prevailing market cement prices were inadequate to meet the increased cost of production.
In the first nine months only three cement units earned a profit. The spokesman said that this lopsided performance of the sector is mainly due to stagnant domestic demand and a steep decline in exports of 12.52%. The units located in the northern part of the country had lost export viability due to higher transportation costs between their production sites and the coast.
Industry experts fear a total collapse of the sector if immediate remedial steps are not taken and that the decline in domestic sales of cement is a direct reflection of subdued economic activities. However, as the global economy shows signs of recovery, the decline in cement exports should be a matter of grave concern for the economic managers of the country.