Vietnam imported 530,000 tons of paper of different kinds worth 355 million U.S. dollars in the first nine months of this year, posting respective year-on-year rises of 27.1 percent and 34.9 percent.

Vietnam will, however, still have to import a large volume of some kinds of paper as well as pulp in the coming years, mainly because the local pulp industry is weak, the Vietnam Paper Association said on Wednesday.

The association has proposed the state encourage foreign investment in pulp production, promote local production of high- grade paper, not just packaging, printing or writing paper, and assist enterprises in rapidly developing material zones and better dealing with wastes originated from pulp and paper production.

Vietnam has targeted to turn out 1.2 million tons of paper and one million tons of pulp in 2010, said the association.

In 2005, Vietnam, home to over 300 pulp and paper plants, mostly with annual capacity of 500-20,000 tons, imported 554,000 tons of paper of different kinds, mainly high-grade ones, worth 354 million dollars, posting year-on-year respective surges of 16. 8 percent and 42.7 percent, said the association.

Source: Xinhua