PVOH majors Kuraray Co and Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry Co (Nippon Gohsei) see Asian demand growth for the chemical reaching some 7-8%/year in the long term, and may consider expanding their output to meet that demand, CNI was informed Tuesday. Both companies are in a 50:50 joint venture, Poval Asia, which operates a new 40 000 tonne/year PVOH unit on Jurong Island. Output from this unit serves both Kuraray's and Gohsei's customers. Kuraray chairman Hiroto Matsuo said Asian demand for polyvinyl alcohol is growing rapidly - the fastest in the world - despite the financial crisis which has dampened demand somewhat over the past two years. Although the current Asian demand growth rate is less than 5%/year, it still is higher than the global average rate of 2-3%/year, he added. Gohsei chairman Tsuyoshi Katayama said he is confident that Asian demand could reach 7-8%/year in the long term.