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India's Newspapers Face Print Crisis: Imports Surge
4 Feb
Summary
- Domestic newsprint production meets less than half of India's demand.
- The newsprint supply gap has persisted for over two decades.
- Newspaper publishers rely on imports to ensure uninterrupted distribution.
India's domestic newsprint production capacity remains critically low, failing to meet the country's substantial demand. Annual requirements stand at approximately 1.2 million tonnes, yet local production has consistently hovered around 0.5 million tonnes.
This deficit means Indian newsprint mills can only fulfill about 40% of the market's needs. This has forced newspaper publishers to rely heavily on imported newsprint for more than two decades to maintain their operations and distribution networks.
Concerns are rising about the state of the domestic industry, with claims of surplus production capacity being questioned. Data indicates minimal exports over the past 15 years, suggesting a lack of excess production and reinforcing worries about the industry's long-term viability.
