Import game on scrap paper

When the importation of waste paper was opened, publishers and newspapers that were barely trying to survive suffered a severe blow. While the publishing industry is fighting a serious crisis with rising costs, it is also having to pay the price for poor economic decisions. While the sector, which after the closure of SEKA was completely confined to the import of paper, cannot manage costs due to the high exchange rate, we are also going through difficult times for waste paper, which is an important income for the sector from the press.

COMPANIES ARE IN DIFFICULT

The economic leadership, which claims at every opportunity that it will take measures to stimulate the local and national economy in import-dependent sectors in order to reduce the current account deficit, turns a blind eye to import-dependent practices in both paper as in waste paper. when it comes to the publishing sector. While limited foreign exchange resources flow into imported paper, foreign dependency policies also remain in waste paper.

Representatives of the sector affirm that the situation is unsustainable. Sector representatives claim that the big players who determine the waste paper market deliberately increase imports and point out that they dominate the market and cause great damage to the publishing industry. Many businesses, from small to large, are going through difficult times, finding it difficult to continue their activities due to cost pressure coupled with the problems experienced by waste paper imports. Publishers and newspapers, for which waste paper is an important income, are forced to sell the paper they buy at a high and cheap price.

569 thousand tons of used paper were imported

According to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), in the first 7 months of 2023, 569,166 tons of used paper were imported. In this period, the volume of imports amounted to 92 million 355 thousand 693 dollars.

The import of used paper generates pressure on prices

The fact that some large organizations have turned to imports to reduce domestic prices for waste paper not only causes misuse of Turkey’s limited foreign exchange resources, but also causes difficulties in recycling. However, encouraging recycling is particularly important to protect natural resources. Industry experts point out that if recycling is supported, Turkey can become an important production base in this field in the next period with the opening of new factories.