holders of grupo gondi manage the joint venture and we provide technical and commercial resources . we believe the joint venture is helping us to grow our presence in the attractive mexican market . we have included the financial results of the joint venture in our corrugated packaging segment since the date of formation . we are accounting for the investment on the equity method . on january 19 , 2016 , we completed the packaging acquisition . the entities acquired provide value-added folding carton and litho-laminated display packaging solutions . we believe the transaction has provided us with attractive and complementary customers , markets and facilities . we have included the financial results of the acquired entities in our consumer packaging segment since the date of the acquisition . on october 1 , 2015 , we completed the sp fiber acquisition . the transaction included the acquisition of mills located in dublin , ga and newberg , or , which produce lightweight recycled containerboard and kraft and bag paper . the newberg mill also produced newsprint . as part of the transaction , we also acquired sp fiber's 48% ( 48 % ) interest in green power solutions of georgia , llc ( fffdgps fffd ) , which we consolidate . gps is a joint venture providing steam to the dublin mill and electricity to georgia power . subsequent to the transaction , we announced the permanent closure of the newberg mill due to the decline in market conditions of the newsprint business and our need to balance supply and demand in our containerboard system . we have included the financial results of the acquired entities in our corrugated packaging segment since the date of the acquisition . see fffdnote 2 . mergers , acquisitions and investment fffdtt of the notes to consolidated financial statements for additional information . see also item 1a . fffdrisk factors fffd fffdwe may be unsuccessful in making and integrating mergers , acquisitions and investments and completing divestitures fffd . business .
what was the percentage increase in the segment income from 2016 to 2017
in fiscal 2018 , we continued to pursue our strategy of offering differentiated paper and packaging solutions that help our customers win . we successfully executed this strategy in fiscal 2018 in a rapidly changing cost and price environment . net sales of $ 16285.1 million for fiscal 2018 increased $ 1425.4 million , or 9.6% ( 9.6 % ) , compared to fiscal 2017 . the increase was primarily a result of an increase in corrugated packaging segment sales , driven by higher selling price/mix and the contributions from acquisitions , and increased consumer packaging segment sales , primarily due to the contribution from acquisitions ( primarily the mps acquisition ) . these increases were partially offset by the absence of net sales from hh&b in fiscal 2018 due to the sale of hh&b in april 2017 and lower land and development segment sales compared to the prior year period due to the timing of real estate sales as we monetize the portfolio and lower merchandising display sales in the consumer packaging segment . segment income increased $ 491.5 million in fiscal 2018 compared to fiscal 2017 , primarily due to increased corrugated packaging segment income . with respect to segment income , we experienced higher levels of cost inflation during fiscal 2018 as compared to fiscal 2017 , which was partially offset by recycled fiber deflation . the primary inflationary items were freight costs , chemical costs , virgin fiber costs and wage and other costs . productivity improvements in fiscal 2018 more than offset the net impact of cost inflation . while it is difficult to predict specific inflationary items , we expect higher cost inflation to continue through fiscal 2019 . our corrugated packaging segment increased its net sales by $ 695.1 million in fiscal 2018 to $ 9103.4 million from $ 8408.3 million in fiscal 2017 . the increase in net sales was primarily due to higher corrugated selling price/mix and higher corrugated volumes ( including acquisitions ) , which were partially offset by lower net sales from recycling operations due to lower recycled fiber costs , lower sales related to the deconsolidation of a foreign joint venture in fiscal 2017 and the impact of foreign currency . north american box shipments increased 4.1% ( 4.1 % ) on a per day basis in fiscal 2018 compared to fiscal 2017 . segment income attributable to the corrugated packaging segment in fiscal 2018 increased $ 454.0 million to $ 1207.9 million compared to $ 753.9 million in fiscal 2017 . the increase was primarily due to higher selling price/mix , lower recycled fiber costs and productivity improvements which were partially offset by higher levels of cost inflation and other items , including increased depreciation and amortization . our consumer packaging segment increased its net sales by $ 838.9 million in fiscal 2018 to $ 7291.4 million from $ 6452.5 million in fiscal 2017 . the increase in net sales was primarily due to an increase in net sales from acquisitions ( primarily the mps acquisition ) and higher selling price/mix partially offset by the absence of net sales from hh&b in fiscal 2018 due to the hh&b sale in april 2017 and lower volumes . segment income attributable to .