According to the statement of major local paper producers and analysts in Latvia, Latvia was faced with the problem of paper shortage and sharp rise in prices throughout 2021, resulting in an increase in the cost of printing services and book prices in Latvia.

It is reported that one of the main reasons for this situation is the reduction of production by major local paper manufacturers in 2021. Many paper enterprises even made the decision to reduce production before the originally planned date, which had an impact on the local paper and downstream printing industry.

In addition, Stora Enso, one of the largest papermaking enterprises in Europe, has also announced to reduce the production of newspaper and magazine paper from November 2021, and will continue to accelerate the production reduction process of this kind of paper in the future.

Affected by this, the paper production in Europe fell sharply, and Latvia was also affected. Other manufacturers have raised their prices because demand exceeds supply. In addition, the recent sharp rise in energy prices in Europe has made paper more expensive, and the market price of paper has increased by 20% – 30%.

In addition, the continuous turbulence in the global logistics industry has also exacerbated the complexity of the paper market, led to a further rise in paper prices, and further deepened the paper dilemma faced by Latvia.