Pakistan: Traders switch over to Afghan coal as South African prices stay elevated

A sharp rise in South African thermal coal prices has compelled traders in Pakistan to start sourcing coal from Afghanistan. Thermal coal imports from Afghanistan were cheaper by 40-45% as the local cement manufacturers remained heavily reliant on coal imports. Pakistan’s thermal coal imports from Afghanistan declined 57% m-o-m in Feb’22 at 0.3 mnt owing to the escalation in coal prices, CoalMint data shows.