Papermakers to cut output

The production cuts in the papermaking sector this year are slated to be 6.35 million tons, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Provided to China Daily

The low-end papermaking industry has become a key target of the government's new measures to cut industrial overcapacity.

Nationwide, 67 companies involved in the papermaking industry were told to cut their capacity, according to a statement from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released on Monday.

The move comes one month after the ministry launched the first series of overcapacity cuts in industries including copper smelting, electrolytic aluminum and cement.

Earlier this year, the government decided to make greater efforts to tackle overcapacity, a serious problem that has plagued China's industrial sector for years.

"In order to resolve overcapacity conflicts and prevent air pollution, we've decided to strengthen efforts to complete the task of eliminating excess capacity during the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-15) one year in advance," said Miao Wei, the minister of industry and information technology.

In 2011, China released targets for a reduction in overcapacity in 19 industries across the nation, including iron smelting, cement, printing and dyeing, flat glass, papermaking and shipbuilding.

The production cuts in the papermaking sector this year are slated to be 6.35 million tons, according to the ministry.