Cement dispatches declined significantly in May, going from 4.858 million tons in the same month of last year to 3.837 million tons this year, a 21.02% reduction.
Monthly data issued by the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) records local cement dispatches in May as 3.205 million tons against 3.869 million tons in May 2025, a 17.17% decline. Similarly, exports decreased by 36.06%, from 989,434 tons in May 2025 to 632,648 tons in May 2026.
Last month, North based cement mills dispatched 2.657 million tons of cement, 22% less than the 3.407 million tons dispatched in May 2025. South-based mills, meanwhile, dispatched 1.180 million tons of cement in May 2026, 18.70% less than the 1.452 million tons dispatched in May 2025.
In the first 11 months of the ongoing FY26, total cement dispatches have reached 46.26 million tons, 6.44% higher than the 43.46 million tons dispatched during the corresponding period of last fiscal year. Domestic dispatches during this period reached 38.01 million tons against 35.11 million tons last year, an increase of 8.26%. Export dispatches, meanwhile, declined by 1.21%, going from 8.34 million tons last year to 8.24 million tons during the first 11 months of the current fiscal year.
North-based dispatches
North-based mills dispatched 2.657 million tons of cement in domestic markets last month, 16.05% lower than the 3.165 million tons dispatched in May 2025. There were no exports from North-based mills last month.
In the first 11 months of FY26, North-based mills dispatched 31.689 million tons of cement domestically, 9.49% higher than the 28.943 million tons of cement dispatched from July 2024 through May 2025. Exports from the North declined by 45.98%, going from 1.476 million tons to 797,431 tons during this time period. Total dispatches by North-based mills increased by 6.8%, from 30.419 million tons to 32.487 million tons, during the first 11 months of the ongoing financial year.
South-based dispatches
South-based mills dispatched 547,528 tons of cement domestically in May 2026, 22.21% less than the 703,827 tons dispatched in the same month last year. Exports from the South also decreased by 15.41%, going from 747,856 tons in May 2025 to 632,648 tons last month.
Domestic dispatches by South-based mills in the first 11 months of FY26 reached 6.323 million tons, 2.47% higher than the 6.170 million tons dispatched during the same period of FY25. Exports from the South increased by 8.41%, going from 6.869 million tons last year to 7.447 million tons this year. Total dispatches by South-based mills increased by 5.6%, going from 13.039 million tons to 13.770 million tons.
In a statement, a spokesman of the APCMA appreciated the continuous and untiring efforts of Pakistan to resolve geopolitical tensions and restore peace in the Middle East. He expressed optimism about the upcoming federal budget, hoping for positive policies from the government to support the local industry and to resolve the bottlenecks in its operations.