The Indian Paper Manufacturers Association has urged the government to ban inferior-grade material imports, impose quality control orders and monitor inward paper shipments to protect domestic paper manufacturers.
Apr 18, 2025
The Indian Paper Manufacturers Association (IPMA) has appealed to the government to take strong measures against the import of sub-standard paper materials. The industry body has proposed a ban on low-grade paper imports, the implementation of quality control norms, and stricter monitoring of inbound shipments to shield domestic producers from the adverse effects of cheap foreign supplies.
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Shedding light over low-cost imports, IPMA highlighted that the situation could deteriorate further due to new retaliatory tariffs imposed by the U.S. on key Asian exporters like China and Indonesia. These developments could potentially lead to excess global inventories being redirected to India at reduced prices, posing a challenge for local paper manufacturers.
In response, IPMA is calling for urgent policy action, including a ban on rejected and inferior paper materials, alongside trade safeguard mechanisms to prevent dumping. The association is also seeking that the government should regulate quality control measures under a proposed inter-ministerial monitoring group.
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Furthermore, IPMA has recommended that paper and paperboard be added in the exclusion list of the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA). It is also advocating for the government to introduce mandatory quality control orders to limit the entry of sub-standard imports and safeguard the domestic paper industry.
