Average pulp export prices post double-digit jump in the first half of 2021

Average FOB pulp prices posted double-digit increases on a yearly basis resulting from a rise in e-commerce sales and food delivery during the pandemic coupled with an economic recovery across major markets with the easing of the pandemic, shows CW Research's IPPWeek Market Data.

FOB pulp prices registered a sharp rise in the first six months of the year in four select exporters, Russia, the US, Portugal and Chile, while the same trend was seen for CIF prices in three select importing markets, the US, Italy and Germany.

ÔÇ£Escalating freight prices and growing input costs, including energy and raw materials, caused several pulp manufacturers to issue consecutive price increases worldwide. During the pandemic e-commerce and delivery services resulted in increased demand for packaging, carboard and packaging paper, while global economic recovery and the search for sustainable packaging solutions have benefitted the global paper and pulp industry,ÔÇØ observed Prashant Singh, Associate Director at CW Group.

Russia's average pulp export price rises almost 70 percent on a yearly basis in June

According to CW Research, in Russia, average export prices for pulp in June increased almost 67 percent from June 2020, and grew more than 12 percent compared to May. Despite exporting 4 percent less pulp volume in the first six months of the year, Russia's pulp export turnover rose about 29 percent in the period.

The same upward trend was seen in US export pulp prices. During the first six months of 2021, the United States recorded a decline in chemical wood pulp exports by 9 percent compared to 2020. Meanwhile, export values were up by 7 percent from the previous year. In June, the average export price for chemical wood pulp jumped almost 28 percent year-on-year, while it went up by 6 percent month-on-month.

In Portugal, average export prices of chemical wood pulp in June jumped almost 48 percent from the equivalent year-ago period, while Chile's FOB chemical wood pulp prices increased by about 25 percent in June year-on-year.

Germany average pulp import price up by one third in June

German chemical wood pulp imports increased around 4 percent in the first half of the year when compared to the same period of 2020, while the import value climbed by 21 percent in the period. Average CIF prices rose by more than 29 percent in June 2021 year-on-year.

In the United States, average import prices for chemical wood pulp in June rose by 30 percent on a yearly basis. Imports of chemical wood pulp into the US in the first six months of the year grew by over 2 percent while import values increased by more than 31 percent year-on-year.

In Italy, average chemical wood pulp import prices in June 2021 increased 34 percent year-on-year as the country imported 9 percent more pulp, in terms of volume, than the year before, while posting an increase in pulp export value of almost 46 percent.

CW Research's IPPWeek Market Data reporting covers monthly paper and pulp volume trends across the globe. The service provides data and statistics on monthly demand and supply volumes for the largest paper and pulp producing and consuming markets around the world. Presented in an objective, easy-to-understand format, the IPPWeek Market Data is an indispensable tool for producers, suppliers, traders, investors, and end-users that need to quickly understand developments in the world paper and pulp markets.

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