Aug 19, 2005. /Lesprom Network/. Czech paper industry has been growing over the past few years, seeing an increase in both the annual output and paper consumption, Milos Lesikar of the paper and pulp association has told Ceska Tiskova Kancelar. "The growth has lasted for five years in a row. It stems from streamlining and growth in efficiency, but there is a lack of new investment," Lesikar said. In the first half of the year, paper and cardboard output rose by 5% on the year to 497,000 tonnes. Production of sanitary paper grew by 35% to 20,500 tonnes. Mainly imports supply the domestic market with sanitary paper products. The output of finished paper products grew by more than 20% year-on-year to 259,000 tonnes in the first six months, while pulp output rose by 5% to 383,000 tonnes. For the full year, Lesikar said he expected a growth of at least 3-5% in paper output. Lesikar said that only new investment would boost the growth markedly, but world's leading paper makers prefer to invest in Asia where paper consumption is low and can be expected to increase in future. Moreover, the strong crown makes paper imports cheaper, he added. In 2004, paper consumption in the Czech Republic rose by 13% to 129.7 kg per head annually and should grow further this year. The average in advanced European countries stands at some 200 kg per head a year.