The Deputy Director of Industrial Affairs at the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade announced, “We have changed the policy of «production & imports» into the policy of «production & exports» in the production of many types of high consumption paper and cardboards including tissue and packaging paper (liner and fluting) within 5 years, and the country has become self-sufficient in this area.”

According to ISNA quoting the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, in an interview Farshad Moghimi said, “Self sufficiency in the production of paper has been on the agenda of the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, and the production of the types of paper on which the Ministry has made decision, including tissue, its production has had upward trend. The production of tissue has reached 153 thousand tons in 2018, 10 thousand tons of which were exported.”

Regarding the packaging paper, Moghimi explained, “Given the created capacity to increase the production of the packaging paper (liner and fluting), both the domestic requirements have been met and 188 thousand tons were exported.”

Emphasizing the follow-up of the Supreme Leader’s orders on the status of printing, writing and newsprint paper, the Deputy Director of Industrial Affairs at the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade said, “The Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade has not been in charge of policy-making of printing, writing and newsprint paper, and there has recently been an agreement with the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance for the improvement of production.”

According to Moghimi, some measures have been placed on the agenda, and the development of production and the replacement of imports with exports will be pursued more seriously and quickly given the Supreme Leader’s orders.

Finally, stressing on the cooperation among organizations to realize the increase in production, the Deputy Director of Industrial Affairs at the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade noted, “The increase in the production requires the assistance and the cooperation of other effective governmental entities in this regard, including the Ministry of Agriculture in terms of facilitating the imports of wood with skin and plantation of wood, the Organization of Tax Affairs and the Islamic Consultative Assembly to approve Value Added Tax Act which provides the prediction of the exemption from VAT on wood, pulp and waste paper.”