Mohamed Ashour, a member of the Printing, Packaging, and Paper Division in the Federation of Egyptian Industries, called on the government to support the local paper industry as it could save up to $500m in foreign currency annually (about one million tonnes annually of raw material for paper). The local component of the paper industry reaches 85%. The paper and cardboard industry has an estimated workforce of about 35,000 workers in addition to about 20,000 temporary workers. Ashour's remarks came during the 13th session of the Paper Me – Print 2 Pack Exhibition, which is currently being held at the Egypt International Exhibition Center. He said the exhibition was a good opportunity for exhibitors and suppliers to be present in one place, which facilitates communications between exporters and paper suppliers, whether inside and outside Egypt. It was also of great importance at the export level, because foreign customers got to know the size of local companies and their production capacities and quality. Total of 250 Egyptian and foreign companies including manufacturers, industry developers, spare parts companies, and factory machinery companies participated in the exhibition. The Paper Me – Print 2 Pack Exhibition is the largest economic event that brings together companies in the paper, cardboard, printing, and packaging industries in Egypt, Africa, and the Middle East. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the event witnessed a high turnout, including companies from Germany, China, India, Italy, Austria, and Turkey. The number of Chinese companies in the event exceeded 18 companies and the number of Indian companies reached 27. The exhibition also targets banks and other local parties, in addition to international companies working in importing paper. Ashour noted that local companies cover 70% of the local market, while the rest 30% is imported from Turkey, Sweden, Portugal, America, or Russia.
