Prof. Kamal Mohan Chopra Illuminates Path Forward: India's Printing & Packaging Sector Set to Surge 11% Annually Amid Green Tech Boom

Karnal, December 6, 2025: In a riveting discourse that blended hard data with visionary foresight, Prof. Kamal Mohan Chopra, the venerable former Chairman of the World Print & Communication Forum (WPCF) and a towering figure in India's print fraternity, captivated a packed house at the SkillTech Industrial Expo here on Friday. Delivering a keynote seminar titled "The Present Status of the Indian Printing and Packaging Industry", Prof. Chopra painted a portrait of an industry not just resilient but roaring toward self-reliance, projecting a blistering 11% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to hit Rs. 12.53 lakh crore (US$ 143 billion) by 2029.
The expo, buzzing with over 5,000 attendees from Haryana's vibrant manufacturing belt, transformed the New Grain Market grounds into a hive of innovation. Amid stalls showcasing cutting-edge machinery and sustainable materials, Prof. Chopra's session – part of the expo's marquee technical lineup – drew entrepreneurs, policymakers, and young engineer’s eager for insights into an sector fuelling 'Make in India' and powering e-commerce giants.
Kicking off with a nod to the industry's evolutionary pulse, Prof. Chopra highlighted how India's packaging market, the economy's fifth-largest pillar, has ballooned to Rs. 7.36 lakh crore (US$ 84 billion) in 2024 alone, driven by FMCG explosions and urban consumption spikes. "We're witnessing a renaissance," he declared, his voice resonant over the expo's hum. "Paper packaging alone clocks Rs. 1.67 lakh crore (US$ 19.07 billion) as of August this year, hurtling toward Rs. 4.07 lakh crore by 2030 at a staggering 19.48% CAGR – that's the green wave crashing against plastic bans and sustainability mandates."
Diving deeper, the professor unpacked the dual engines of growth: digital disruption and eco-innovation. Commercial printing, he noted, stands at US$ 36.5 billion in 2025, eyeing US$ 46.7 billion by 2034 with a steady 2.8% CAGR, bolstered by e-commerce's insatiable appetite for custom labels and brochures. Offset packaging? A robust US$ 8.94 billion this year, ballooning to US$ 13.01 billion by 2032 at 5.5% CAGR, thanks to mid-web presses and RFID tech reshaping supply chains.
Yet, Prof. Chopra didn't shy from headwinds. "Our per-capita paper consumption lingers at a modest 15 kg – a fraction of the global 57 kg – signalling untapped potential amid fibre shortages and import pressures," he cautioned, urging backward integration and AI-driven mills. Spotting silver linings, he lauded government PLI schemes, which have sparked US$ 19 billion in investments and 1.15 million jobs by March 2025, indirectly turbocharging label converters and pharma packagers.
The seminar's interactive Q&A sparked fervent exchanges, with local entrepreneurs grilling on automation trends – from flexible systems in food & bevy to barrier-coated paperboards combating counterfeit woes. "SkillTech isn't just an expo; it's a launchpad for Haryana's youth to seize this 7-8% annual demand surge, expanding production capacity to 32 million tonnes by 2030," Prof. Chopra enthused, tying his OPA legacy – including yesterday's IPAMA felicitation – to collaborative triumphs.
As applause thundered, expo organizers hailed the session a "game-changer." Mr. Bobby Dhingra, SkillTech convener, remarked, "Prof. Chopra's blueprint equips our region to lead in consumer packaging, forecasted to leap from US$ 59.4 billion in 2025 to US$ 103.4 billion by 2035 at 5.7% CAGR." For Prof. Chopra, whose decades-long advocacy has etched OPA as the offset oracle since 1968, the day underscored unity: "From Karnal's granaries to global shelves, we're printing India's story – sustainable, scalable, and sovereign." The SkillTech Industrial Expo continues through December 7, promising more masterclasses on tech fusion.