Financial Tribune - The government will allocate subsidized foreign currency at the rate of 42,000 rials per dollar for the import of 80,000 tons of copy and print paper in the current Iranian year (March 2019-20), says Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Abbas Salehi.

�A total of 39,000 tons of paper were imported last [fiscal] year [March 2018-19] compared with 55,000 tons in the year before. The decline in imports has destabilized the paper market,� IRNA quoted Salehi as saying.

Noting that paper has been listed in Iran among "essential and strategic goods even at the time of Iran-Iraq war [1980-88]", he said shortage of paper would create as many problems as meat and chicken shortage.

Publishers have seen an astonishing 340% increase in the prices of coated paper used in printing and packaging industry over the past year.