5 days ago
From The Hindu, August 14, 1975: Soviet offer to increase newsprint supply
New Delhi, Aug. 13: The Soviet Union, which is to supply 45,000 tonnes of newsprint to India in 1975-76, is prepared to increase the quantum of its supplies by 10 per cent annually in the 'visible future'.
This was started here to-day by Mr. K.I. Galanshin, Soviet Minister for Paper and Pulp Industry, who also gave an assurance that his country would fulfil its commitments in the supply of newsprint in future as it had done in the past.
Under an agreement signed last month, the Soviet Union is to supply 45,000 tonnes of newsprint in 1975-76 at a price which is 20 per cent less than last year's price. Twenty three thousand tonnes of this would be shipped to India till the end of this year and the rest by July next, Mr. Galanshin told newsmen.
The Soviet Union, Mr. Galanshin said in a reply to a question, would 'thoroughly consider' any Indian request for Soviet help in setting up newsprint mills in this country. But this would have to be gone into by experts.
Asked if India had sought any increase in the newsprint supplies, Mr. Galanshin said the matter would be taken up at the forthcoming discussions at Moscow on the joint trade agreement.
He said although his country produced seven million tonnes of pulp and 8.50 million tonnes of paper and cardboard this year, this was not sufficient for its domestic needs. However, it was exporting half a million tonnes of pulp, three lakh tonnes of paper and 4.50 lakh tonnes of cardboard mainly to COMECON countries.
Mr. Galanshin said his country was setting up three pulp mills which would have an annual capacity of three million tonnes of pulp, which is also used in synthetic fibre production.
