EXPORTS of books, publications and printed matter from India have grown in value from Rs330million (US$7.2million) in 1990-91 to Rs3,600million (US$78.2million) in 2002-3.
Such exports contribute five per cent of the publishing industry’s total turnover, which now stands at Rs70billion (US$1.521billion), accroding to the Business Standard.
More than half of India’s print exports are destined for devloped nations, among them the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Other significant importers of Indian print are Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
“Demand for job-printing by the western nations has gone up due to our competitive pricing,” says Sukumar Das, chairman (books, publications and printing), Chemicals & Allied Products Export promotion Council, and also the president of Federation of Publishers’ & Booksellers’ Associations in India.
“Additionally, quality consciousness on the part of exporters in the competitive exports market has improved the quality of books produced. Use of good paper, illustrations and jacketing have made our books aesthetically better, because of which they have gained acceptance abroad,” Das says.
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