The prices of paper and paper products have increased by an average five percent, following an increase in product prices in the international market and additional custom appraisement fee levied on imports.

Yousaf Surmawala, an office bearer of All Pakistan Paper Merchants Association, said that prices of different categories of paper and paper products have been increased by an average five percent due to price hike in the international market.

He said that local millers have also increased rates in line with imported paper. The international cost of waste paper comes at $140 per ton, while import of coated and uncoated paper costs around $720 per ton.

Mohammad Saleem Memon, ex chairman of All Pakistan Paper Merchant Association, said that prices of photocopy paper have been increased from Rs260 per kg to Rs285 per kg, art paper from Rs108 per kg to Rs122 per kg and rates of offset paper mostly used in school books from Rs118 per kg to Rs128 per kg.

Memon said that paper prices have been increased all over the world, besides rupee depreciation and two percent additional customs duty were the prime reasons for the increase in local market prices.

According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the country imported paper and paper products worth $227.133 million in the first eight months of the current fiscal year, registering a decline of 10.84 percent against the imports of $254.741 million in the same period of last fiscal year.

The National Tariff Commission (NTC) has imposed anti-dumping duty for five years on paperboard imports from South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan and China.

Imports from China will face 18.10 percent duty, South Korea 22.24 percent, Indonesia 11.10 percent and imports from Taiwan will face 10.51 percent anti-dumping duty, which was effective from December 27, 2012.