India: the buyer that makes clothes

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India is the fifth largest pulp importer in the world. Its largest imported grade is dissolving pulp, the raw material for viscose fiber, and Grasim says the only rayon-grade pulp plant in India is at one of its sites. Imports more than doubled in ten years, and South Africa, not Brazil, is the largest origin.

Published October 27, 2026 · Facts as of October 27, 2026 · 13 min read · Sources listed at the end

Facts as of October 27, 2026. This page states the facts as they stood on that date. Figures, rules and company plans may have changed since publication. We review this guide every six months and update the pages.

2.73 million tonsIndia's pulp imports in 2025, up 114.5% from 1.27 million tons in 2015, as reported by India ¹

5thIndia's rank among world pulp importers in 2024, at 2.51 million tons, FAO data show ²

30.5%Dissolving pulp share of India's 2025 pulp imports, the largest single grade ¹

19.4%South Africa's share of India's 2025 pulp imports, the largest origin ¹

The 60-second version

What is it?

India imported 2.51 million tons of wood pulp in 2024, the fifth largest total in the world, FAO data show ². Its largest imported grade is dissolving pulp, which is the raw material for viscose fiber ^1,5,7.

Why does it matter?

India's pulp imports rose 114.5% from 2015 to 2025, to 2.73 million tons, as reported by India. China's rose 64.5% over the same years ¹. India's buyers draw on different origins than China's.

How does it work?

Five origins supply 70.2% of India's pulp. The data show the grade and the origin of each ton, but not who buys it ¹. Indian mills grow part of their own wood with farmers ^10,11. One 2014 report describes a wood shortage in 2013 despite this ¹⁰.

Myth or fact?

"India buys its pulp mostly from Brazil, as China does."

See the answer

Myth. Brazil supplied 7.5% of India's 2025 pulp imports, about 204,000 tons, and was sixth. South Africa was first with 19.4%. Brazil supplied 32.1% of China's imports ¹.

In this post

1. How much pulp does India import?
2. Which grades does India import?
3. Where does India's pulp come from?
4. Why does India import dissolving pulp?
5. What happens to dissolving pulp at a viscose plant?
6. Who makes pulp in India, and where does the wood come from?
7. What should traders and lenders watch?

01How much pulp does India import?

India imported 2.51 million tons of wood pulp in 2024. FAO data rank it fifth in the world, after China (30.26 million tons), the United States (6.28), Germany (4.74) and Italy (3.35) ². India's total is 8.3% of China's.

UN Comtrade data, as reported by India, show the trend. India's imports were 1.27 million tons in 2015 and 2.73 million tons in 2025, a rise of 114.5%. China's imports rose 64.5% over the same years ¹. Indian imports fell to 1.38 million tons in 2020, then rose every year to 2025 ¹.

For 2024 the two sources are close. FAO shows 2.51 million tons and Comtrade shows 2.49 million tons ^1,2. For the largest buyer, see China: the largest buyer is building its own mills.

Chart

The 12 largest pulp importers in 2024

Million tons. Source: FAOSTAT Forestry, item 1875 Wood pulp (downloaded October 2026). European Union members in orange. China (mainland) excludes Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao.

02Which grades does India import?

Four grades make up 97.2% of India's 2025 imports. Dissolving pulp was the largest, at 834,000 tons or 30.5%. Bleached hardwood pulp followed with 737,000 tons (27.0%), then semi-chemical pulp with 625,000 tons (22.9%) and bleached softwood pulp with 461,000 tons (16.9%) ¹.

Semi-chemical pulp changed most. India imported 120,000 tons in 2015 and 625,000 tons in 2025, more than five times as much. Its share rose from 9.4% to 22.9% ¹. Dissolving pulp rose from 446,000 tons in 2015 to a peak of 948,000 tons in 2024, then fell 12.0% to 834,000 tons in 2025 ¹.

No source we found explains the rise in semi-chemical pulp or the 2025 fall in dissolving pulp. The figures record what India declared at customs, by HS code, and carry no information on end use.

Chart

What India imports, by grade, 2015 to 2025

• Dissolving pulp
• Bleached hardwood
• Semi-chemical
• Bleached softwood
• Unbleached kraft
• Other pulp

Thousand tons. Source: UN Comtrade, as reported by India; partner rows; weights that failed checks are left out. 2025 data may be revised. Other pulp is groundwood pulp.

03Where does India's pulp come from?

Five origins supply 70.2% of India's pulp. South Africa was first in 2025 with 531,000 tons (19.4%), followed by Indonesia (412,000 tons, 15.1%), Canada (353,000 tons, 12.9%), the United States (326,000 tons, 11.9%) and Sweden (298,000 tons, 10.9%). Brazil supplied 204,000 tons (7.5%) ¹.

The mix differs from China's. Brazil supplied 32.1% of China's 2025 imports ¹. For India, Brazil is sixth. Its shipments to India rose from 33,000 tons in 2024 to 204,000 tons in 2025. No source we found explains the jump.

South Africa's shipments to India rose from 133,000 tons in 2020 to 600,000 tons in 2024, then fell to 531,000 tons in 2025 ¹. Sappi, which runs mills in South Africa, gives 1.15 million tons of dissolving wood pulp a year for its Southern African business ⁶. The trade data do not show which grade comes from which origin, so we do not link the two.

India is a small customer for Indonesia, an exporter. Indonesia reported 0.40 million tons to India in 2025 and 5.53 million tons to China ¹. See Indonesia: Asia's hardwood supplier and the pulp trade map for all routes.

Chart

Where India's pulp comes from, 2015 to 2025

• South Africa
• Indonesia
• Canada
• United States
• Sweden
• Brazil
• Rest of world

Thousand tons. Source: UN Comtrade, as reported by India; partner rows; weights that failed checks are left out. 2025 data may be revised.

04Why does India import dissolving pulp?

Dissolving pulp has a high share of cellulose and a low share of hemicellulose ⁷. Most of it goes to viscose. A 2016 review says that in 2014, 88% of prehydrolysis kraft dissolving pulp and 80% of acid sulfite dissolving pulp went to viscose production ⁷. Sappi lists textiles first among its markets for dissolving wood pulp ⁵.

India's dissolving pulp imports were 0.83 million tons in 2025, as reported by India. China's were 4.54 million tons, as reported by China. India's figure is 18.4% of China's ¹.

Grasim, part of the Aditya Birla Group, says its viscose staple fiber capacity in India is 824,000 tons a year. It says its Harihar Polyfibers site hosts "the only Rayon Grade Pulp Plant in India" ³. Grasim also draws pulp from outside India. It says AV Cell and AV Nackawic in Canada supply dissolving-grade pulp to its viscose units in India, Thailand and Indonesia, and that Domsjö Fabriker in Sweden gives it high-quality dissolving-grade pulp ³. Domsjö makes 230,000 tons of dissolving cellulose a year ⁴.

The Grasim page gives no import tons. So the data do not show how much of India's 0.83 million tons moves inside one group. For the wider story of viscose and new fibers, see Clothes from trees.

Chart

Dissolving pulp imports: China and India, 2015 to 2025

• China
• India

Million tons. Source: UN Comtrade, as reported by China and India; partner rows; weights that failed checks are left out. 2025 data may be revised. HS 470200 (dissolving grades).

05What happens to dissolving pulp at a viscose plant?

A pulp-science paper describes the viscose steps in the flow below ⁸. Sappi says viscose staple fiber provides more than 80% of the global wood-based cellulosic fiber ⁵.

The fiber market has shown strain elsewhere. On August 13, 2026, Packaging Insights reported that Metsä Group cancelled a planned textile fiber mill of about 100,000 tons a year. Metsä's reason, as quoted: "significant global overproduction has emerged in a short period" ⁹. That is one producer's view of the fiber market that dissolving pulp serves.

1. Dissolving pulpThe raw material is dissolving pulp, which has a high cellulose content ^7,8.
2. Alkali celluloseMercerization turns the pulp into alkali cellulose ⁸.
3. XanthationCarbon disulfide is added to the alkali cellulose ⁸.
4. DissolveThe sodium xanthate is dissolved in caustic soda ⁸.
5. SpinSpinning regenerates the cellulose as rayon fiber ⁸.

Sappi lists textiles first among the markets for dissolving wood pulp ⁵.

06Who makes pulp in India, and where does the wood come from?

Indian mills grow part of their wood with farmers. The table shows what four companies say. Three of the four rows are old or undated, and the table gives the year of each source.

Andhra Paper gives the newest figures. Its July 2026 report says plantation work covered about 9,574 hectares in the year to March 2026, and the company plans 12,000 hectares in 2026 to 2027 ¹¹. The filing does not state what share of its wood comes from farm forestry ¹¹.

A 2014 article in Down To Earth shows the pressure on wood supply. It reports that 61% of the wood used by 12 mills came from farm forests in 2013, up from 23% in 2004 ¹⁰. In its JK Paper section the article says: "Despite extensive farm forestry initiatives, we faced shortage in 2013." The article lists a price crash in 2008 to 2009, a gall disease in eucalyptus and farmers switching to food crops as causes ¹⁰. ITC's Kulkarni said the paper industry needs an additional 2.5 million hectares by 2025, a projection and not a measured result ¹⁰.

ANDRITZ's customer magazine quotes ITC: "we are now virtually self-sufficient in local fiber at the mill" ¹². The page is undated. No source we found gives India's current import duty on pulp. See the pulp watch for rules and dates.

Compare

Four Indian pulp and fiber makers and their wood or pulp sources

Company figures as reported in the sources shown. Years differ, so the rows cannot be added or ranked.

Company	What the source says	Year of the source
ITC (Bhadrachalam)	About 80,000 farmers grew pulpwood for ITC on 168,000 hectares in ten states. Bhadrachalam took 95% of its raw material from these plantations. 10	2014
JK Paper (Rayagada)	More than 85% of the wood came from farm forestry, on 110,000 hectares in 20 districts. In 2013 it imported more than 70,000 tons of wood for the first time. 10	2014
Andhra Paper	Plantation work covered about 9,574 hectares in FY2025-26. It plans 12,000 hectares in 2026-27, with around 6,000 farmers within 150 km. 11	July 2026
Grasim (Harihar)	Harihar Polyfibers hosts "the only Rayon Grade Pulp Plant in India", Grasim says. Group viscose staple fiber capacity in India is 824,000 tons a year. 3	Undated page, read October 2026

07What should traders and lenders watch?

The data point to three checks for anyone selling or financing pulp into India.

• Grade mix. Semi-chemical pulp went from 9.4% to 22.9% of imports in ten years, and dissolving pulp fell 12.0% in 2025 ¹.
• Origin mix. Five origins supply 70.2%, and Brazil's shipments rose more than six times in one year ¹.
• Buyer type. Grasim says its Harihar site hosts the only rayon-grade pulp plant in India, and that group mills abroad supply its viscose units ³. A counterparty check can ask whether a buyer belongs to a group that makes its own pulp.

No source we found gives the payment terms that Indian pulp buyers use. A lender can ask which terms apply, and compare a letter of credit with an open account sale. See the payment terms spectrum and letters of credit. Pulp held at a port ties up working capital; see working capital and trade finance. A buyer who pays in a foreign currency carries foreign exchange risk. For how cash moves in a pulp trade, see cash in the chain.

What this means for traders

• India's pulp imports more than doubled in ten years, and the mix has moved toward semi-chemical pulp and new origins such as Brazil.
• Dissolving pulp is India's largest grade, and the sources show a viscose chain with group mills abroad. Check who the real buyer is.
• No source we found gives India's import duty or its buyers' payment terms. Confirm both before you price or finance a cargo.

Questions traders ask

How much pulp does India import?

FAO data show India imported 2.51 million tons of wood pulp in 2024, the fifth largest total in the world. UN Comtrade data as reported by India show 2.73 million tons in 2025, up 114.5% from 1.27 million tons in 2015.

What is India's largest imported pulp grade?

Dissolving pulp, at 834,000 tons or 30.5% of India's 2025 imports. Bleached hardwood pulp was second at 27.0%, then semi-chemical pulp at 22.9% and bleached softwood pulp at 16.9%.

Where does India buy its pulp?

South Africa was the largest origin in 2025 with 19.4%, followed by Indonesia (15.1%), Canada (12.9%), the United States (11.9%) and Sweden (10.9%). Brazil supplied 7.5%.

Why does India import dissolving pulp?

Dissolving pulp is the raw material for viscose fiber. Grasim says its Harihar site hosts the only rayon-grade pulp plant in India, and that group mills in Canada and Sweden supply dissolving-grade pulp to its viscose units. The sources we found give no import tons for Grasim.

What is India's import duty on pulp?

No source we found gives India's current import duty on pulp. The Indian customs tariff, chapter 47, holds the rates. The pulp watch in this series lists the rules and dates we could verify.

Read next

• InnovationClothes from trees: dissolving pulp, viscose and new fibers
• Makers and buyersChina: the largest buyer is building its own mills
• Makers and buyersIndonesia: Asia's hardwood supplier
• Start hereThe pulp trade map: who ships to whom, 2015 to 2025
• Money and rulesPulp watch: every rule and date in one place
• Money and rulesCash in the chain: terms, letters of credit and stock at ports
• Ossiano Trade Finance GuideHow each trade finance instrument works
• GlossaryTrade finance terms in plain English

Buying or selling pulp into India? Ossiano Capital works on trade finance for pulp and paper trades.

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Sources and notes

1. UN Comtrade, imports reported by India, HS 470100, 470200, 470311, 470319, 470321, 470329 and 470500, 2015 to 2025, partner rows with usable weights; imports reported by China, HS 470200 and all pulp codes; exports reported by Indonesia to India and China, 2025; downloaded October 2026 and checked by us. 2025 data may be revised. https://comtradeplus.un.org/
2. FAOSTAT Forestry, item 1875 Wood pulp, imports by country, 2024, downloaded October 2026. https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/FO
3. Grasim Industries, viscose business page, undated, read October 17, 2026. https://www.grasim.com/viscose.aspx
4. Aditya Birla Group, Domsjö Fabriker (Domsjö), company page, undated, read October 27, 2026. https://adityabirla.com/businesses/companies/domsjo-fabriker-domsjo
5. Sappi, Pulp products page, undated, read October 17, 2026. https://www.sappi.com/en-gb/products-services/products/pulp-products
6. Sappi, Sappi Southern Africa, undated, read October 27, 2026. https://www.sappi.com/about-us/sappi-southern-africa
7. Chen and co-authors, review of cellulose (dissolving pulp) manufacturing and properties, BioResources 11(2), 5553 to 5564, March 9, 2016. https://bioresources.cnr.ncsu.edu/BioRes_11/BioRes_11_2_5553_Review_Chen_DLLMZSN_Cellulose_Dissolving%20Pulp_Manufacturing_Properties_8444.pdf
8. Ostberg, Hakansson and Germgard, Pulp reactivity for viscose, BioResources 7(1), 743 to 755, 2012. https://bioresources.cnr.ncsu.edu/BioRes_07/BioRes_07_1_0743_Ostberg_HG_Aspects_Reactivity_Pulp_Viscose_Gamma_No_2172.pdf
9. Packaging Insights, Metsa pivots from textile fibers to food packaging as market conditions reshape strategy, August 13, 2026. https://www.packaginginsights.com/news/metsa-pivots-textiles-fiber-food-packaging.html
10. Down To Earth, Forest to farms, July 15, 2014. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/environment/forest-to-farms-45285
11. Andhra Paper Limited, Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report FY2025-26, filed on NSE July 20, 2026. https://nsearchives.nseindia.com/corporate/ANDHRAPAP_20072026165936_APL_BRSR_FY25-26_FINAL_.pdf
12. ANDRITZ, SPECTRUM issue 36, Bhadrachalam article, undated. https://andritz.com/spectrum-en/latest-issues/issue-36/badrachalam

Trade figures come from UN Comtrade (2015 to 2025, as reported by 10 countries) and FAOSTAT (1961 to 2024), checked and recalculated by us; each chart names whose data it uses. All tons are metric tons. All facts on this page are as of October 27, 2026, the date of publication, and may have changed since. For rules and tariffs, check the pulp watch before you act.

About this post. Prepared for Ossiano Capital. People planned, researched, wrote and checked this post, using AI tools to help with research and checking. You are welcome to quote or reuse it: please credit Ossiano Capital and link to this page.