China Continues to be a HUGE consumer of Pulp

In 2009, China imported a record high 13.7Million tons of market pulp, increasing 44% over the 2008 deliveries. The extra demand was consumed by the new machines starting up without domestic fiber. Most exerts in the industry believe the Chinese will continue to grow their purchases of market pulp, despite less worldwide supply and increased prices. There has also been an increase in pulp consumption in India with solid demand in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Vietnam. Suppliers in Brazil and Indonesia had pulp availability decrease due to flooding, while Russian suppliers had unusually frigid temperatures, slowing production.