Canadian Market Pulp Dips for November

Canadian market pulp production continues to move up sharply. According to the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association Canadian November market pulp production stands at 687,000 metric tons, a 3 percent increase from figures the same time last year.

The figures for the month pushed the 11-month total to 8.055 million metric tons, a 9 percent increase from the same time last year.

The operating rate at Canadian pulp mills also moved up for the month, with November’s figure at 90 percent of capacity, compared to November 1998’s operating rate of 85 percent of capacity. For the first 11 months the operating rate stands at 95 percent of capacity, compared to 1998’s operating rate average of 85 percent of capacity.

The shipment of Canadian pulp, however, declined for the month. November’s shipment total stands at 641,000 metric tons, compared to November 1998’s production figure of 661,000 metric tons. Leading the decline was shipments to Canadian sources, which dropped 13 percent for the month. For the first 11 months, however, internal shipments did increase by 9 percent to 766,000 metric tons.

The United States, the largest end market for Canadian pulp, however, increased its intake of Canadian market pulp by 8 percent between the two months, with November 1999’s figure at 253,000 metric tons.

The shipment total for the first 11 months of last year increased by 9 percent to 8.170 million metric tons.

The inventory of market pulp at the end of November increased from the previous month to 570,000 metric tons. However, for the inventory level is down sharply from November 1998’s inventory level of 721,000 metric tons.