Noida, Dec 7 (KNN) The paper industry’s potential remains untapped due to the acute shortage of fibre raw material in the country, Uttar Pradesh Minister Nand Gopal Gupta said Wednesday.

While inaugurating the 16th International Conference and Exhibition “Paperex-2023” at India Expo Center and Mart in Greater Noida, the minister said that a reason for low capacity utilisation is the continuous rising input costs, especially for energy inputs.

At present, the paper industry is providing direct and indirect employment opportunities to 25 lakh people across the country.

Gupta said the paper industry is linked to all aspects of the society while its consumption is a parameter of the socio-economic development of the country and it is directly related to the GDP of the country.

“There are about 900 paper mills spread across the country and out of these, 104 paper mills are located in Uttar Pradesh. The installed capacity of all paper mills in the country is 27 million tonnes per annum and production is 24 million tonnes per annum. All paper mills in Uttar Pradesh have an installed capacity of 6 million tonnes and produce about 4 million tonnes of paper,” the minister was quoted as saying in an official statement.

He added that the paper industry is providing employment in rural and urban areas across the country and overall, 25 lakh people are directly and indirectly deriving their livelihood from this sector.

At the national level, this industry contributes Rs 8,000 crore to the national exchequer with a turnover of Rs 70,000 crore. Driven by the national priority of a knowledge-based economy, he said, this industry is known to be a significant contributor to the government’s goal of achieving an overall growth of 8 per cent in manufacturing.

‘Paperex 2023’, a four-day paper products fair, will run from December 6 to 9 and has more than 600 stalls with representatives from 20 countries expected to participate in the event.

(KNN Bureau)