RI exports 5m tons of paper

SURABAYA (JP): The Association of Pulp and Paper Producers reported on Tuesday that the country produced 8.5 million tons of paper last year, of which 5 million was exported.

The association's chairman, Muhammad Mansur, said Indonesia's pulp production reached 5.1 million tons in 1996, of which 1.1 million was exported.

Mansur said the pulp and paper business was promising because of favorable international prices and the potential for an increase in domestic demand.

He said the international pulp price now stood at about US$650 per ton.

Meanwhile, paper consumption per capita in Indonesia was still very low at 6.5 kilograms per capita, compared to 350 kilograms in the United States. (nur)