GCC paper industry investments ‘surge to over $1.6bln’

GCC paper industry investments ‘surge to over $1.6bln’

The industry’s oldest and premium exhibition, Paper Arabia, has made a comeback following post-Covid new investments and expansions in the GCC paper industry surging in excess of $1.6 billion in the past two years.

At a media briefing , spokespersons of Paper Arabia, organised by Dubai’s pioneer in events and expos, Al Fajer Information and Services, said a major share of these investments were in the UAE and Saudi Arabia in greenfield projects as well as in expansion of existing production facilities to cater to the growing consumer demand for paper products, particularly in packaging and hygiene.

“The paper industry in the Middle East has evolved over the years and it is now one of the world’s fastest growing markets. The Covid pandemic had brought in disruptions and production bottlenecks throwing in unprecedented challenges for paper mills across the world, but it also helped mushroom new opportunities in paper packaging and paper disposables, further fuelled by an e-commerce boom,” said Nadhal Mohamed, General Manager, Al Fajer Information & Services.

Growth context

He said the relaunch of Paper Arabia comes in a growth context for the paper industry. “This is the 12th edition of Paper Arabia and the response have been robust with nearly 100