Newsprint Prices Rise by 100%

Prices of paper used by publications (books, newspapers, magazines, etc.) have grown by 100% over the past year due to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, the head of Paper and Cardboard Producers’ Syndicate said.  “Each kilogram of domestically-produced newsprint and foreign-made newsprint was priced at 18,000 rials (42 cents) and 25,000 rials (59 cents) respectively two years ago, but now Iranian paper mills do not produce newsprint while the price of foreign-made newsprint stands at 43,500 rials ($1.03),” Abolfazl Roghani Golpayegani also told IRNA.  Noting that the country needs as much as 380,000 tons of newsprint annually, Golpayegani said Indonesia, Malaysia, China, South Korea, Finland and Italy are the main exporters of newsprint to Iran.