Paper price goes up, printing businesses meet difficulties

Material paper has risen price in the second quarter of 2018 and is forecast to keep rising till the end of the year. Businesses related to paper are meeting challenges. 

 

From April up to now, paper price has been rising. In comparison with the price in end 2017, paper price now has increased by 12 - 20%. Paper for newspaper printing is selling at VND17.5 million to VND18.5 million/ton, increasing by VND2 million/ton in comparison with that in end 2017. Offset paper also has increased price for three times. “In 2017, price of material paper rose but backed to stable in the end of the year. Paper price rises again this year. It make printing businesses meet difficulties”, said Tran Thi Kieu Diem deputy manager of Cat Thanh company.

 

 

 

The province now has nearly 50 businesses whose operation is related to paper. “As a principle, when paper price rises, prices of printed products like newspapers, books, etc. will also increase. However, many orders have been signed contracts from the beginning of the year. Despite the sharp increase in paper price, we cannot raise the printing price. Other kinds of publications are difficult to increase prices because it will have fewer customers. During the past time, we have lost in some products, but I don’t know how long the business will suffer it”, Kieu Diem said.

 

Tran Minh Nhut, deputy manager of Marketing of Khanh Hoa Printing and Trading Joint Stock Company, revealed “Right from the early year, we forecast that paper price will go up, so we stored paper as well as signed whole year contracts with paper suppliers. However, small scale businesses couldn’t do like us because their orders are not stable. Meanwhile, increasing prices of printed products is not easy.” He also said that although printing businesses try to keep price, they will meet a lot of difficulties if paper price and ink price rise more.

 

Price of materials to produce paper is forecast to keep high and rise more. Therefore, printing paper will also rise. At this time, most of printed products haven’t increased in price or have made a slight increase. But if paper price is still high till end 2018, prices of printed products surely will go up.

 

Dinh Lam

 

Translated by T.T