INS on shortfall of newsprint

Indian Newspaper Society (INS) on Tuesday voiced serious concern over the shortfall of newsprint in the country, forcing publishers rely on imports.
“India’s annual newsprint consumption is approximately 1.2 million tonnes, while domestic production has struggled to cross 0.5 million tonnes. As a result, Indian mills are currently able to meet only about 40% of the total demand, underscoring a major ‘hollowing out’ of the industry,” INS said. It said this gap in the demand and supply has persisted for over two decades, with no meaningful expansion in dedicated newsprint manufacturing capacity.
“Owing to this inherent constraint, newspaper publishers are compelled to rely on imports to ensure uninterrupted supply and distribution, which remains essential for informed public discourse of this country,” the INS said.