Under the corporation's draft plan on the industry's development submitted to the Ministry of Industry, the industry needs to develop raw materials sources in order to reach this target. The plan calls for greater exploitation of both domestic and foreign sources and further investment in advanced technology to produce high-quality products with lower prices and enabling the sector to compete with other countries. During 2006-2010, the paper industry plans to increase the capacity of paper mills to satisfy at least 70 percent of domestic consumer demand and boost exports of some kinds of paper, such as printing paper and tissue paper. The Vietnam Paper Corporation (VPC) will speed up construction of pulp mills in Thanh Hoa, Bai Bang and Long An, to bridge the gap between pulp supply and paper production. In the long term, the corporation will endeavor to build a centralized and modernized paper industry with high capacity. During 2001-2005, VPC produced 1.3 million tons of paper per year, with an average annual growth rate of 13.3 percent. Last year, the corporation yielded 263,000 tons of paper and earned a total turnover of VND3.4 trillion (roughly US$211.9 million), posting year-on-year increases of 16 percent and 31 percent respectively.

Source: VNA