Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: Imports of paper and paperboard in India rose sharply by 47 per cent to Rs 11,513 crore in 2022-23 compared to Rs 7,839 crore in the previous fiscal, according to the data from the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence & Statistics (DGCI&S).
Imports from China surged more than two-fold and from ASEAN countries by 97 per cent during the year, newspapers said on May 18, quoting the DGCI&S data.
While the growth in imports has been across all grades of paper, the highest jump has been witnessed in the imports of uncoated writing & printing paper (two-fold), followed by coated paper and paperboard (51 per cent), and tissue at 41 per cent.
The top import sources of uncoated writing & printing paper are Indonesia, Singapore and China while that of coated paper and paperboard are China, Japan and South Korea, according to Indian Paper Manufacturers Association (IPMA).
IPMA President Pawan Agarwal said imports of paper and paperboard into India have been increasing at a fast pace in the last three years despite adequate domestic production capacity.
