Books in Ukraine may become more expensive by 25% due to the crisis in the Red Sea

The price of books in Ukraine may increase by a quarter this year, in particular due to the shipping crisis in the Red Sea.

In 2024, book prices in Ukraine may increase significantly. Oleksandr Krasovytskyi, the writer and editor-in-chief of the “Folio” publishing house, told about this at the “Ukrinform” briefing.

The shipping crisis in the Red Sea will affect the price increase. Ships try to avoid the dangerous area, so they choose a route around Africa, which is longer by 3-4 weeks. This affects the delivery time of the paper.

In particular, among the reasons for the possible increase in the price of books, Krasovytsky noted the competition of military production with the book market for raw materials.

“Because the pulp that goes into, say, diapers and books also goes into gunpowder. And the growth of military production around the world competes with books for raw materials. And we know that the growth of pulp production is not enough for either part of the market, and all this gradually leads to problems in the market physically, with the availability of paper,” he commented.

So, due to the growth of military production in the world, the cost of books in Ukraine may increase by 20-25% this year.

USM previously reported that Hapag-Lloyd would transport containers through land corridors to bypass the Red Sea.