Import of paper and paperboard continues unabated. After a 25 per cent jump in FY23 in volume terms, paper imports have further risen by 43 per cent in the first half of FY24, according to DGCI&S data.
The surge in imports is mainly due to a 257 per cent growth in import of paper and paperboard from the ASEAN region at zero import duty under a free trade agreement.
In H1 FY24, import of paper and paperboard increased to 9.59 lakh tonnes from 6.72 lakh tonnes in H1 FY23. Imports from ASEAN grew from 81,000 tonnes in H1 FY23 to 2.88 lakh tonnes in H1 FY24.