The Portucel Soporcel group, Portugal's second leading exporter, is set to increase the prices for its UWF (uncoatedwoodfree) paper products across all European markets, as from the beginning of April, mirroring the two increases already implemented by the Group this year, with complete success, in the US, Middle East, African and Asian markets and an increase in Latin America.

• Increase of 3% to 5% for April
• •Growing pressure from the industry's cost structure and historically low prices lead to plant closures in the US and in Europe

The strong pressure on the industry's cost structure, which has undermined profitability and led to the closure of several plants in the US and Europe, has made this price review inevitable, together with the fact that prices dropped by around 3% throughout 2013 alone, according to relevant benchmark indicators in Europe. It is necessary to go

back three and a half years, to summer 2010, to find prices lower than they are at present, it is also worth to underline that in more than three decades only during six periods of time real prices were actually lower than they are today.

European leader in the production of UWF paper, the Portucel Soporcel group will raise its prices in the European market for all its products by 3% to 5%, corresponding to the signs of growing demand detected in the early months of 2014. Since the start of the year, demand has consistently increased, and order books at all the Group's mills are at their highest level ever for this time of the year.

The Portucel Soporcel group markets products to 118countries under its own paper brands with a strong reputation for superior quality - Navigator, Pioneer, Inacopia, Explorer, Target, Discovery and Multioffice. The Navigator brand, in particular, is the world's best-selling office paper in the premium segment.