The Philippine Pulp and Paper Industry and Biotechnology

Professorial Chair Lecture

Guillermo Ponce Professorial Chair Lecture

Place

College of Forestry, University of the Philippines Los Baños

Date

12-12-1994

Abstract

The pulp and paper industry consists 37 pulp and paper mills with an overall rated capacity of 656,000 MT. The pulp capacity is about 194,000 MT which is only about 30% of the total paper and paperboard capacity.

The industry is heavily concentrated in the Metro Manila area where 17 paper mills, all non-integrated mills and wholly dependent on waste paper, are located. Two mills are located in the Visayas, three are in Mindanao, and the rest are in Luzon.

Since the pulp capacity can supply only about 30% of the paper mill requirement, the industry is 70% dependent upon waste paper obtained locally and abroad. Local collection of waste paper cannot supply the requirements of the mills, hence waste paper is being imported from abroad to augment the shortfall.

The per capita consumption is about 10 kg/year. Production of paper is much less than consumption and this shortfall is expected to last into the 21st century.

The pulp and paper industry is very small, machinery very old and processes obsolete. Annual capacity is way below the average capacity of their foreign counterparts. Yet there is optimism that the industry will grow by about 6 to 7% annually or even up to 10% by the year two thousand.

Inspite of this optimism, the DBP recommends that the industry restructure and modernize itself and become competitive with foreign companies. This is especially imperative because of falling tariffs not only in ASEAN but also in the world when GATT is approved and implemented.

Location

UPLB Main Library Special Collections Section (USCS)

College

College of Forestry and Natural Resources (CFNR)

Language

English

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