Manufacturers Association Lament: Dont Label Made in Nigeria Products Made in Asia

I find this story very interesting because a lot of time in the past, i have come across obviously made in Nigeria products being labelled as made in China, India or where the manufacturers think will make buyers more "interested"

The truth is that while the Made in Nigeria products might not be as good as we want it to be, i share the opinion mentioned in this article that for a sustainable level of progress to be achieved, we must take pride in our products. One way of doing so is being proud of them enough to label them Made In Nigeria

Full Reports Below

Some manufacturers and experts on Thursday in Lagos decried the trend of labeling Nigerian goods as made-in-Asia or made-in-China.

They said in separate interviews with NAN in Lagos that most of locally manufactured products like shoes, bags, packaged food, and clothing were now labeled made in China to attract more patronage.

Mr Frank Jacobs, President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) said that it was an ugly trend that was common among small and medium scale manufacturers entering the nation’s the market.

He also said that it was a major challenge that was limiting the competitiveness of Nigerian products and urging manufacturers to desist from the act.

“We hear of such things as shoes and bags made here in Aba, Nigeria being labeled as Made-in-US just to attract the attention of Nigerian buyers.

“Somehow, the consumers also share a part of the blame as they carry a poor perception about made-in-Nigeria goods, and simply ignore them.

“This is very bad for our economy, and it is high time people knew that most of the things they buy are now produced in the country and not in Asia.

“We hope that dumping of foreign products are one of the major issues the new government would address, as it is really a contributing factor to this issue,” he said.

Also speaking on the issue, the Lagos Zonal Coordinator of the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) frowned at the trend, saying it was killing the manufacturing sector.

He said that manufacturers of such products should be caught and punished, as they were selling the nation’s ‘birthright’.

He urged the government to pursue the proposed Local Patronage Bill or any other policy that could encourage Nigerians to patronize made-in-Nigeria goods.

Miss Kene Rapu, Chief Executive Officer of SBK Shoes, a local shoe manufacturer said that manufacturers who labeled their products wrongly suffered from low esteem

Source: PMNEWS NIGERIA