Box manufactures to increase prices by 20-25 pc from April 1

Jalandhar, Mar 19 (UNI) Box Manufacturers Association of Punjab today announced to increase the prices of corrugated boxes by 20 to 25 per cent from April 1.

Association president Manish Arora in a press note issued here said that due to the unprecented increase in the cost of production of corrugated boxes used for packaging of various products, the box manufactures were forced to increase the price by 20 to 25 per cent.

Justifying the hike, Mr Arora said,''The prices of kraft paper board too have gone up by 25 per cent, kraft paper is the basic raw material used in manufacturing corrugated boxes, besides increase in steel prices led to jump in cost of stitching wire by 35 per cent and there has also been an increase in fuel cost, transportation cost and labour cost.'' All these factors had greatly affected the cost of production of highly eco-friendly mode of packaging of finished products, he added.

''Our industry is highly labour intensive and eco-friendly. It is a substitute for wooden box. We request intervention of the government to seize upon the matter and control spiraling prices of basic raw material for industry,''he said.

UNI DP HS VN2048