Finnish Paper Industry Output Down in First Half of Year

The difficult operating environment for the Finnish paper industry in the first quarter of this year continued in the second quarter, according to the Finnish Forest Industries Federation (FFIF). Finland's production of printing and writing paper fell by 12% in the first six months of the year to 3.2 million metric tons, and board manufacturing fell by 6% to 1.3 million tons.

The FFIF reports that consumption of graphic paper on the main markets in Europe remained at a low level due to the euro crisis. This was reflected in Finnish production figures, FFIC adds, noting that Finland's exports of paper and board decreased by 12% and 8.5%, respectively, compared with the first six months of last year. But prices remained on the same level.

The production of chemical pulp in Finland decreased by 2% to 3.4 million metric tons in the first half of 2012. Pulp exports, however, increased.

TAPPI
http://www.tappi.org/