Ilkka Kuusisto, from Poyry Management Consultants, Singapore, at the conference closing session invites participants to look at history instead of forecasts. He retells the history of the strength of newspapers, withstanding factors such as the economy and alternative media like television. He says the most important factors that affect newsprint prices are supply and demand. In India, Kuusisto says, the demand is still growing partially because the alternatives are still very expensive. He says, "An e-reader would have to be three dollars before it's competitive with newspapers in India.
"Newspapers are still wining at least ninety-five to five," in Japan, he adds. However, raw material prices have been going up while newspaper prices have been coming down. He warns that this is unsustainable in the long term. Kuusisto thinks that while prices in Asia are low now, it will eventually go up. He adds, "It also means that the quality of the paper will be lower."
