<b>North American Newsprint Shipment Post Steep Drop</b>

The most recent figures from the Pulp and Paper Products Council find the shipment of finished newsprint from North American newsprint mills plummeted 12.4 percent for March, compared to figures the same time last year.

According to the association, total shipments stand at 1.243 million metric tons, compared to last March’s figure of 1.419 million metric tons.

The decline for the month pushed the year-to-date figure to 3.776 million metric tons, a 6.1 percent drop from figures the same time last year.

The decline was seen throughout all end markets, with shipments to the United States, the largest end market for newsprint, posting a steep 13.5 percent drop in shipments for March and a 5.1 percent drop over the first three months of the year.

Shipments from both the United States and Canada posted declines during the month and first three months, according to the PPPC. Shipments from U.S. mills declined 13.2 percent for March and dropped 6.7 percent over the first three months. The shipment of finished newsprint from Canadian newsprint mills also posted a decline for the month and year to date. For March, Canadian newsprint shipments slipped by 11.9 percent, while shipments over the first three months dropped 5.6 percent.