Pakistan set to export cement to US first time in history

KARACHI: Pakistan is set to start exporting cement to the US for the first time ever. DG Khan Cement Company (DGKC), the country’s largest cement manufacturer, has brokered a deal with the US to supply 0.6 million tonnes of cement.

The country’s cement producers were previously exporting cement to India, Afghanistan, and a few African countries only. With the US emerging as a new trade partner for Pakistan in the cement industry, this deal is set to open up new avenues for trade.

DGKC is currently in the process of loading cement on a US-bound ship at Karachi port for a delivery to Houston, Texas. The first consignment consists of 50,000 metric tonnes of cement.

Exporting cement to the US will significantly benefit the country’s export receipts, allowing the country to stabilise its Balance of Payment (BoP) to some extent. Exports for this commodity have previously been on a decline as May 2022 saw a massive decrease of 76.97 percent to 171,915 tonnes, compared to 746,550 tonnes in May 2021.

Overall, in the first 11 months of the current fiscal year, both domestic and international cement dispatches totalled to 47.62 million tonnes – a decline of 8.8 percent compared to the previous fiscal year. With more dispatches to the US expected in the future, the country’s cement industry may see a rise in the international market.