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India's consumption of paper, paperboards and newsprint is set to grow from the present 12 million tonnes (mt) to 17 mt over the next five years. This growth will be fuelled by the increase in literacy rate, standard of living and growth of industries such as food, pharmaceuticals and apparels.
According to Mr M.B.S. Nair, President, Indian Pulp and Paper Technical Association, the growth will also be supported by the increased government spend on education schemes such as Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and national literacy mission.
“Though our domestic paper consumption has been growing steadily but the per capita consumption is still only about 10 kg compared with the world average of 57 kg,” Mr Nair said at a press meet to announce a two-day conference on enhancing production and quality of the paper industry in India here on Wednesday.
Out of the total consumption, writing and printing constitute about 35 per cent, packaging and paper board accounts for 45 per cent while newsprint and specialty paper constitutes 16 per cent and four per cent respectively.
Close to 31 per cent of the country's total production is met through raw materials such as wood and bamboo, 47 per cent of the production comes from recycled waste papers, while the rest is sourced from agro residue like bagasse and straw.
The country also imports about 1.6 mt of paper, of which about one mt is newsprint paper.
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