Cement Prices Rise Again in Pakistan

The retail price of cement has been increased by up to Rs. 207 per bag in Pakistan, latest data by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics revealed on Monday. A 50 kg bag of cement now retails for Rs. 1,500 per bag, with rates currently the highest in Peshawar and Lahore. Only last week, cement rates had increased by Rs. 120/bag to Rs. 1,340-1,420 per bag. In just one week, the price of cement increased by Rs. 207 per bag in Larkana, Rs. 177/bag in Peshawar, Rs. 163/bag in Bannu, Rs. 160/bag in Quetta, Rs. 160/bag in Sargodha and Rs. 155/bag in Multan. Cement rates have increased by Rs. 150/bag in Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore. Gujranwala, Faisalabad, and Sialkot saw rate hikes of Rs. 147/bag, Rs. 140/bag, and Rs. 130/bag, respectively. Meanwhile, cement is Rs. 120/bag expensive in Hyderabad and up by Rs. 107/bag in Rawalpindi. Cement rates in Khuzdar, Balochistan saw the smallest increase of Rs. 23/bag. The federal government in budget 2024-25 imposed a higher federal excise duty on cement to Rs. 4 per kg compared to Rs. 2 in the previous fiscal year. The original budget first proposed an increase to Rs. 3 per kg but Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Friday announced a doubled rate i.e. Rs. 4 per kg for the new fiscal year.