Pakistani manufacturers sent 2.78 million tonnes of cement locally and abroad in August 2014, up 23.2% year-on-year and partly reversing a decline in July this year. Local sales jumped by a similar level - 23.6% - to 1.57 million tonnes, with growth in both the northern and southern regions.
Despite this, the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) stated that the industry continues to chafe under tax burdens and a 1% coal import duty (cement accounts for 95% of the 4.5 million tonne annual coal imports).
