200pc hike in paper prices to hit textbooks printing.

KARACHI -- Printing of textbooks appears impossible due to the massive increase of up to 200 per cent in paper prices and profiteering by local paper mills, Abid Nisar, a former vice chairman of the All Pakistan Paper Merchants AssociaAtion, said on Monday.

'A severe paper crisis has erupted across the country due to high taxes on imported paper, significant devaluation of the rupee, the soaring dollar, and the profiteering of local paper mills. As a result, the price of paper is skyrocketing. TextAbooks would not be available to children, and even if they were, they would be beyond the purchasing power of the people due to the expense,' he feared.

Importers play an important role in meeting the production demand of the printing industry. The books impAoArted from abroad are duty free, which are being printed and imported from other countries, including MalaAysia, Singapore...