India’s import of paper and paperboard has gone up by 60 percent to touch an all- time high of 10.5 lakh tonnes, in the first half of financial year 2018 (H1FY18) from 6.5 lakh tonne during the first half of FY17, despite the Centre’s Make in India push. As per the latest data released by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, duty-free imports from ASEAN countries under free trade agreements (FTAs) more than doubled to 2.1 lakh tonnes from 0.8 lakh tonnes in H1FY17.
The data also revealed that in the previous six years, imports of paper and paperboard have rose at a CAGR of 15 percent in value terms, from Rs 3,411 crore in FY11 to Rs 8,237 crore in FY17. Besides, Saurabh Bangur, President, Indian Paper Manufacturers Association (IPMA), has said that paper is being imported at a cost which in many cases is less than input cost in India, which is among the few markets where demand is growing. However, he noted that most of the growth in demand is met by imported paper while domestic capacities are lying idle.
Bangur further pointed out that inadequate supply of domestic wood pulp, a key raw material, is a major constraint for the paper industry. He noted that cost of domestic wood in India is higher by almost $30-40 a tonne as compared to other Asian countries. Due to this single factor, the cost of paper production in India is higher by $100 per tonne. IPMA said, to the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, unbridled growth in import of paper is hurting the interests of the domestic industry, which does not enjoy a level playing field compared to duty-free imports from countries where cost of production of paper is a fraction of cost in India as raw material, inputs and energy is much cheaper and easily accessible.
Start Research-backed Investing ...Now. Subscribe to Sapphire
MoneyWorks4Me is a SEBI-registered Investment Adviser (IA) dedicated to helping investors build long-term wealth through transparent, research-driven, conflict-free guidance. Founded in 2008, we started our journey as a Research Analyst (RA), providing deep fundamental analysis, intrinsic value insights, and long-term investing frameworks for Indian equities. In 2017, we transitioned to a full-fledged SEBI-registered Investment Adviser, strengthening our commitment to acting as a fiduciary—always putting the investor’s interest first.
To become India’s most trusted, research-powered fiduciary advisory platform—where every investor, regardless of experience, can make calm, confident, and well-reasoned investment decisions.
MoneyWorks4Me ensures this through: