According to India printed Weekly reported in March 3rd, the printing industry in India is faced with the same difficulties as COVID-19, and is also faced with a double strike of rising prices of raw materials, such as paper, printing plates, chemicals, inks and so on.
The All India Federation of printers (aifmp) condemned the sharp rise in the prices of raw materials, led by paper, plates and chemicals, the report said. In a recent statement, the group said: the unprecedented increase in paper prices by paper makers is a major obstacle to their operations. At the same time, the consumer goods industry is reluctant to pass on costs, which makes the printing business unsustainable.
Carmel Chopra, President of the Federation of printers, said that the necessities act of 1955 made newsprint, cardboard and straw board “necessities.”. “We don’t think the law has been properly enforced,” he said. We hope that the government will intervene and supervise its strict implementation. “
According to novel coronavirus pneumonia, India’s media exchange website reported on February 8th that India publishers are struggling to recover from the stagnation of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, but they still need to cope with the growing price of newsprint. The price of newsprint has surged by 20% in the past 3 months after COVID-19′s occurrence. It is expected to rise by at least 10% this month.
According to the report, the price of newsprint was less than $300 per ton in 2020. Now it is close to $500 per ton, and it is expected to rise by another $100 in the next few months. Some paper mills exporting newsprint to India either closed down or switched industries in the epidemic, resulting in an imbalance between supply and demand, thus pushing up the newsprint prices of Indian buyers.
The report also said that India’s 2021 budget did not announce the exemption of newsprint import tax on the printing industry, which is struggling to develop its business.
“Nearly 50% to 60% of our costs go to buying newsprint, and because the government has not reduced import taxes, our costs will only increase,” said shreyams Kumar, managing director of the newspaper. In these difficult times, rising newsprint prices are a big concern for the printing industry, and we have to pay hundreds of thousands of employees in the industry. “
However, the smaller enterprises are the hardest hit by the rising prices of raw materials.
In response to this situation, most printing companies are taking measures to use local newsprint to balance costs and develop other production strategies to adapt to the increasing costs, the report said.
Post time: Mar-11-2021