Thai pulp and paper businesses are calling for safeguards to protect manufacturers and the entire supply chain from the dumping of imported products.
The Thai Pulp and Paper Industries Association (TPPIA) said the proposal has been submitted to the Commerce Ministry's Bureau of Trade Interests and Remedies in a bid to seek suitable protective measures against the increase of cheap imported products.
"We are now depending on the actions of the government to help us shore up the pulp and paper industries," said TPPIA president Montri Mahaplerkpong.
The TPPIA consulted with industry stakeholders and partners from the Federation of Thai Industries before submitting the request for safeguards.
In recent years, the pulp and paper industries have been hit hard by increasing competition from imported products, especially photocopier paper.
"If this is allowed to continue, it will definitely put an end to local businesses and affect the entire supply chain, from the eucalyptus plantations through to pulp production, copier paper production and paper distribution," said Mr Montri.
He said the huge number of people working in the supply chain would be badly affected if nothing were done to correct the situation.
The pulp and paper industries are valued at 30 billion baht annually.
Thailand consumes 230,000 tonnes of photocopier paper per year or more than 19,000 tonnes a month, with an annual value of 10 billion baht.
The volume of imported photocopier paper has quadrupled to 4,000 tonnes a month, with a peak single month of 6,000 tonnes.
Sales of imported paper rose by 600% to account for 30% of the market, up from only 5% last year.
Mr Montri said the influx of imported products is a result of an oversupply in China and Indonesia as well as anti-dumping measures by Australia.
Thailand's zero import duty compared with a range of 3-20% in other Asean countries is also a factor, he said.