Paper Industry Forum seeks TUF Facility

"The current paper consumption is about 8.9 MT which is expected to jump to 15 MT by 2015 and 20 MT by 2020"

THE Indian Pulp and Paper Technical Association (IPPTA) is in talks with the Union Government for creating a technology upgradation fund (TUF) to save the paper industry which is facing a lot problems of late, said K S Kasi Viswanathan, Deputy Managing Director, Seshasayee Paper and Boards Limited.

In this backdrop, the association would meet in Chennai on February 5 and 6 to deliberate upon the topic - Preparedness of Indian Paper Industry for the Decade under the chairmanship of A K Mehrotra, Vice President - Technical, Seshasayee Paper and Boards Limited.

The meet would create awareness on the fast changing technology of the world for better productivity and quality in the paper industry.

Addressing the media here on Thursday, Kasi Viswanathan said that the paper industry no longer remained a remunerative one given the high cost of raw materials like wood, bagasse and wastepaper.

"We have opened talks with the Government for getting waste and poromboke lands for growing trees for the pulp industry so the raw material issue can be resolved,'' he said and added, "The annual turnover of Indian paper industry is over Rs 25,000 crore with a potential to provide direct employment to more than 5 lakh people and indirect employment to about 11 lakh people, mostly from rural population.'' The current paper consumption is about 8.9 MT which is expected to jump to 15 MT by 2015 and 20 MT by 2020, he remarked.

He also said the paper industry would be growing at a CAGR of 7-8 per cent over the next decade and over Rs 10,000 crore would be spent in capacity building in the next few years which would increase the total paper production capacity of India by 30 per cent.

N P Prabhu, Director (Operations), The Mysore Paper Mills Limited, and Anil Kumar, Executive Director and CEO, Shreyans Industries Limitred, shared their views on the paper industry in India.