Cement: Local demand holds the fort

Business Recorder reported that cement shipments from factories grew 6 percent over a year earlier, reaching 4.48 million tons in July 2026 against 4.22 million tons in the matching period. Monthly volumes were also 3.3 percent above June, a continuation of the recovery that emerged near the close of FY26.

Domestic sales accounted for all of the expansion, climbing 17.3 percent to 3.77 million tons, the best July since 2020. Exports dropped 30 percent to 0.71 million tons, and the publication describes local construction as gradually recovering while overseas markets remain uneven.

The northern region led the domestic gain, with local dispatches up 19 percent to 3.09 million tons despite monsoon rains and higher prices. Exports from the north fell to nil from 0.23 million tons, which the report attributes to the continued closure of the Afghan border, though total northern dispatches still rose 9.5 percent. In the south, domestic sales rose 9 percent while exports slipped 9 percent, leaving total southern dispatches about 1 percent lower at 1.39 million tons. Prices held firm, with the average 50kg bag at about Rs1,530 in July, 8 percent above a year earlier.