According to India's "Printing Weekly" report on March 3, in addition to the difficulties caused by the new crown epidemic, the Indian printing industry is also facing a double blow from the continuous increase in the prices of paper, printing plates, chemicals, and inks. And other raw materials and input costs have increased dramatically.

According to reports, the All India Printer Federation (AIFMP) condemned the sharp increase in the prices of raw materials such as paper, printing plates and chemicals. The organization said in a recent statement: The unprecedented increase in paper prices by paper manufacturers is a major obstacle to its operations. At the same time, the consumable industry is unwilling to shift costs, making the printing business unsustainable.

Kamal Chopra, chairman of the Federation of Printers, said that the "Necessities Act" of 1955 stipulated that newsprint, cardboard and straw paper were classified as "necessities." He said: "We believe that this law has not been properly implemented. We hope that the government will intervene and supervise its strict implementation."

According to a report on the website of India's "Media Exchange" on February 8, Indian publishers are trying to recover from the industry's stagnation caused by the new crown pneumonia epidemic, but they still need to deal with the issue of rising newsprint prices. After the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, the price of newsprint has soared by 20% in the past three months, and it is expected that it will rise by at least 10% this month.

According to reports, the price of newsprint in 2020 will be less than US$300 per ton. It is now close to US$500 per ton and is expected to rise by another US$100 in the next few months. During the epidemic, some paper mills that exported newsprint to India closed or switched to other businesses, resulting in an imbalance between supply and demand, which pushed up the price of newsprint for Indian buyers.

The report also said that India’s 2021 budget did not announce that it would exempt the printing industry from import duties on newsprint, and the printing industry is working hard to develop its business.

Shreams Kumar, Managing Director of India's "Motherland" said: "We spend nearly 50% to 60% of our costs on buying newsprint. Since the government has not lowered import taxes, our costs will only increase. In difficult times, newsprint prices Rising is a major problem in the printing industry, and we have to pay hundreds of thousands of employees in the industry."

However, it is small companies that are most affected by rising raw material prices.

The report pointed out that in response to this situation, most printers are taking measures to use local newsprint to balance costs and develop other production strategies to adapt to rising costs.

The report also said that India’s 2021 budget has not announced that it will exempt the printing industry from import taxes on newsprint, and the printing industry is working hard to develop its business.

Shreams Kumar, Managing Director of India's "Motherland" said: "We spend nearly 50% to 60% of our expenses on buying newsprint. Since the government has not lowered import taxes, our costs will only increase. In difficult times, the price of newsprint will increase because of printing. The main problem of the industry, we have to pay hundreds of thousands of employees in the industry."

However, it is small companies that are most affected by rising raw material prices.

The report pointed out that in response to this situation, most printers are taking measures to use local newsprint to balance costs and develop other production strategies to adapt to rising costs.