Floods hit North cement sales

North-based cement mills dispatched 2.691 million tonnes in August, a decline of 9.43% from 2.972 million tonnes in the same month last year. South-based mills, meanwhile, recorded dispatches of 1.35 million tonnes, a robust 22.97% increase from 1.096 million tonnes in August 2025.

In domestic markets, North-based mills dispatched 2.691 million tonnes, down 2.59% from 2.763 million tonnes in August 2025. South-based mills dispatched 591,164 tonnes in local markets, up 6.53% from 554,947 tonnes a year earlier.

There were no exports from North-based mills in August, while exports from the South showed a healthy increase of 39.83%, rising to 756,553 tonnes from 541,054 tonnes in the same month last year.

During the first two months of the current fiscal year, total cement dispatches reached 8.521 million tonnes, 2.80% higher than 8.289 million tonnes in the corresponding period last year. Domestic dispatches during this period rose 8.04% to 7.058 million tonnes, while exports declined 16.69% to 1.464 million tonnes.

North-based mills dispatched 5.784 million tonnes domestically during July-August, up 7.98% from 5.356 million tonnes in the same period last year. However, with no exports from the North during this period, total dispatches by North-based mills fell 0.22% to 5.784 million tonnes.

South-based mills recorded domestic dispatches of 1.274 million tonnes during July-August, up 8.28% from 1.177 million tonnes a year earlier. Exports from the South increased 11.21% to 1.463 million tonnes from 1.316 million tonnes, bringing total dispatches by South-based mills to 2.738 million tonnes, a 9.83% increase.

An APCMA spokesman expressed grave concern over the alarming situation in northern areas of the country due to heavy rains. "Our agriculture and housing are badly affected due to the floods and masses need help from government to cope with," he said, highlighting the broader economic impact of the natural disaster on the region.