The export of cement witnessed an increase of 186.86 per cent during the first month of the current financial year (2023-24), against the exports of the corresponding period of last year. The country exported cement worth US $16.145 million during July 2023 against the exports of US $5.628 million during July 2022, showing a growth of 186.86 per cent, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). In terms of quantity, the cement export also rose by 291.87 per cent from 105,141 metric tons to 412,141 metric tons, the data revealed. Meanwhile, on a month-on-month basis, cement exports however decreased by 24.17 percent during July 2023 as compared to the exports of US $21.292 million in June 2023, the PBS data revealed. It is pertinent to mention here that the country’s overall merchandise export declined by 8.09 per cent in July 2023 as compared to the export of July 2022. The exports during the month were recorded at US$2,068 million against the exports of US$2,250 million in last July. The imports also declined by 25.62 per cent to US$3,705 million in July 2023 compared to the exports of US$4,981 million in July 2022. Based on the figures, the merchandize trade deficit declined by 40.06 per cent going down from a deficit of US$2.371 million last July to US$ 1.637 million in July 2023, according to PBS data.