LAHORE: The country’s total cement sales during the concluding fiscal year of 2018-19 is expected to remain flat, closing in at around 46 million after a long time of 7 years, mainly due to slower economic growth. According to cement industry experts, total domestic sale of FY19 is expected to decline after seven years; down by 3% annually to 39.8 million tons versus 41 million tons during FY18. The primary reason for domestic sales attrition can be attributable to decline in government spending, sluggish growth in GDP growth, and rising inflation and interest rates affecting housing sector. The region wise data suggests that sales from the northern region are anticipated to decline by 6% YoY to 31.9 million tons owing to lower than expected demand from governments project due to a high base election year. DNA
