India's Paper Industry

GST reforms may flood India with paper imports, warns industry body IPMA

Indian paper industry has raised concern over the potential surge in paper imports following the recent GST reforms, warning that the move could erode domestic competitiveness and undermine the government's flagship Make in India' initiative. Indian Paper Manufacturers Association (IPMA) President Pawan Agarwal, in a statement, said that with the recent GST changes, India risks becoming a further dumping ground for cheaper paper from abroad. While domestic manufacturers are being burdened with higher input costs, imported paper used for exercise books and notebooks will now enter the country completely tax-free. This will distort market dynamics and deal a blow to Indian producers, Agarwal said. Paper imports into India have already doubled in the last four years, growing at a CAGR of over 17 per cent in volume terms one of the steepest among major commodities, according to the IPMA. Citing the Commerce Department data, IPMA stated that imports of paper and paperboard rose from 1.

Paper, paperboard imports rise up by 8% in Apr-Jun FY25, reports IPMA

India's paper and paperboard imports rose by 8 per cent to 486,000 tonnes in the April-June quarter of 2025-26 compared to the year-ago period, the Indian Paper Manufacturers Association (IPMA) said on Monday. Paper and paperboard imports stood at 452,000 tonnes in the first quarter of FY25, IPMA said while citing commerce ministry data. Imports from China surged by 28 per cent to 143,000 tonnes during April-June 2025, consolidating China's position as the single largest source of paper imports into India. Imports from ASEAN countries also recorded a significant jump, rising to 92,000 tonnes from 78,000 tonnes in the year-ago quarter, IPMA stated. "The continued rise in paper imports, particularly from China and ASEAN, is hurting the competitiveness of the domestic paper industry. Despite significant investments in capacity and sustainability initiatives, Indian paper manufacturers are struggling with underutilised plants due to the influx of predatory imports," said IPMA President

Govt imposes ₹67,220/tonne minimum import price on multi-layer paper board

The government has imposed a minimum import price of Rs 67,220 per tonne on virgin multi-layer paper board till March 31, 2026, according to a notification. The product is used in the packaging of pharmaceuticals, FMCG products, food and beverages, electronics, high-end cosmetics, liquor, book covers, and publishing. "MIP (minimum import price) of Rs 67,220 per tonne on cost, insurance, and freight (CIF) value, is imposed for import of virgin multi-layer paper board...till March 31, 2026," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has said in a notification. Below this MIP, imports would not be allowed. The imposition of the price will help contain the dumping of the product from countries like Indonesia. In July, the commerce ministry's arm DGTR (directorate general of trade remedies) has initiated an anti-dumping probe into the imports of these paperboards from Indonesia following a complaint by domestic players. The Indian Paper Manufacturer Association had filed the .

Paper imports cross 2 MT in FY25, posing challenges for local players: IPMA

Paper and paperboard imports reached a record 2.05 million tonne in 2024-25 with a 33 per cent jump in volume from China, the Indian Paper Manufacturers Association (IPMA) said on Friday while expressing concerns over growing shipments. This surge in imports has emerged as a significant challenge for the domestic paper industry, undermining its growth potential and threatening investments in capacity expansion, the association said in a statement. Citing the Commerce Ministry data, the IPMA said paper and paperboard imports surged more than twofold in the past four years to hit 2.05 million tonne in FY25 from 1.08 million tonne in FY21. Imports from China now account for 27 per cent of the total paper and paperboard imports into India, and the ASEAN bloc accounts for 20 per cent of the total imports, the IPMA said. In value terms, imports of paper and paperboard touched nearly Rs 15,000 crore in FY25. The relentless surge in paper imports is a matter of grave concern for the domes

Paper & paperboard imports jump 20% to 1.76 mn tonnes in Apr-Dec: IPMA

Paper and paperboard imports into India jumped by 20 per cent to 1.76 million tonnes in the April-December period of 2024-25, according to the Indian Paper Manufacturers Association. In value terms, paper and paperboard imports surged to Rs 11,196 crore (USD 1.3 billion) - breaching Rs 10,000 crore for the first time in the nine-month period, the association said, adding that in volume terms the shipments are the highest for the nine months. A significant contributor to this surge is the 36 per cent increase in imports from China and a 23 per cent increase from ASEAN in volume terms, exacerbating the challenges faced by Indian paper manufacturers, IPMA said. India remains the fastest-growing paper market in the world, yet the domestic manufacturing sector is struggling since the rising demand is being increasingly met by imports, IPMA President Pawan Agarwal said. This paradox - where demand is growing while domestic manufacturing suffers - is a rare and alarming situation, he ...

Paper industry body flags below-cost imports, demands level playing field

Indian Paper Manufacturers Association (IPMA) has expressed concerns over rising imports of virgin fibre paperboard from countries like China and Chile, saying that below-cost shipments are hitting local producers and threatening their investments. The IPMA said that imports of virgin fibre paperboard (VFP), mainly used as packaging material for pharma, FMCG, and cosmetics products, have grown more than three-fold to 21,233 tonnes per month in the first six months of 2024-25 compared to the average 6,337 tonnes per month in 2021-22. "In August and September of the current fiscal, imports have been over 30,000 tonnes per month, which is over 20 per cent of the total domestic demand," IPMA said in a statement while demanding a level-playing field for local manufacturers. The situation is getting exacerbated by the rising imports from China and Chile and the impending threat of large-scale imports from Indonesia due to the recent capacity expansion of 1.2 million tonnes per annum mainl

India remains fastest growing paper market in world with 8.2% rise: Report

India remains the fastest-growing paper market in the world with domestic consumption of packaging paper and paperboard growing at 8.2 per cent in 2023-24, a report said on Wednesday. According to the report by Indian Paper Manufacturers Association (IPMA) for 2023-24, packaging paper & paperboard market is growing at an annual rate of 8.2 per cent in the country. The domestic packaging paper & paperboard market stands at about 15 million tonnes which is nearly 65 per cent of the total paper, paperboard and newsprint market of 23 million tonnes in the country, the report said. Demand for better quality packaging of FMCG products, textiles, pharmaceuticals, among others, as well as, booming e-commerce and rising healthcare spends are among the factors that are driving the growth of packaging paper & paperboard market in India, it said. The ban on single-use plastic, with paper offering a sustainable environment-friendly option, has also emerged as a key demand driver for ...

Paper industry urges govt to allot degraded land for pulpwood plantation

The Indian paper industry has urged the government to provide degraded land on a long-term lease to paper mills for pulpwood plantation to address raw material shortage and boost rural employment. The industry has highlighted that a large chunk of degraded land is available in the country, and even if a small fraction of that is allotted on lease to paper mills for pulpwood plantation, it can be a game changer for industry growth and greening of India. The paper industry has faced shortage of wood, the key raw material, and it is the biggest concern for mills in India, the Indian Paper Manufacturers Association (IPMA) said in a statement on Saturday. While the paper industry is continuing with agro forestry efforts, pulpwood plantations need to be enhanced rapidly to meet the requirements of domestic industry, the IPMA stated. "Even if a fraction of the degraded land available in the country is provided on lease to the industry for pulpwood plantation, the same can be a game change

Paper consumption may touch 24 mt by 2025; industry may add 50 mn jobs

Industry officials said 59 running mills in Tamil Nadu produce close to 31 lakh tonnes of paper annually

Domestic industry frets over surge in paper imports

Imports jump to an all-time high of 10.5 lakh tonnes in H1FY18