India's first newsprint truck routed to Pakistan via Attari - Wagah

Amritsar, May 3 (ANI): In a breakthrough in Indo-Pak trade, the first consignment of 10 MT newsprint was sent from Amritsar to Pakistan through the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Wagah on Thursday.

Khanna Paper Mills (KPM) of Amritsar sent this first truck to one of the Pakistan's leading 'The Dawn and Jung newspaper Group'.

Pakistan has been getting the newsprint via Dubai for which they have to pay high price for the transportation. With opening of ICP and inclusion of Newsprint in Positive list, the material can now be sent directly to Pakistan. The beneficiaries are on both side as they already has been importing the newsprint from Europe and other countries where as we are just 60 km from them and able to sell our product at a much lesser price they have been getting in the past", said Brij Mohan Khanna Chairman and Managing director, (KPM).

It is pertinent to mention that so far a newspaper in Pakistan costs Rs 28 per piece whereas it's readily available in India for mere Rs. 2 per piece. Traders opine that if Pakistan traders will continue to get newsprint through Wagah the cost price of the newspaper will come down.

Khanna Paper is fourth Largest paper Mill of India and one of the very few companies in India manufacturing Newsprint. Rahul Khanna, Director of the Khanna Paper Mill, expressed that though initially it's a small volume they are sending, but he is taking this as a stepping-stone in trade with Pakistan.

"Our long term target is to send more than 2000 tons of newsprint to Pakistan which is about 30 percent share of the Pak consumption and God willing we would establish the market in coming months, added Rahul.

Yet there has lot to do more to make fully operationalised the ICP. However, traders on both sides are in up mood after opening of ICP to enhance trade between the two countries.

Suneet Kochhar, Chairman, Zonal Council CII said that Importing from India, Pakistan will get the international products at lower logistics cost at the same time, with better margins the trade will increase steadily.

He said a new era has begun infusing peace and prosperity for South Asia. By Ravinder Singh Robin (ANI)