Olusegun Awolowo , executive director/ CEO, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), has advised small and medium entrepreneurs (SMES) in Aba to improve the quality and packaging of their products to gain export market.
He observed that quality was essential in export business, while appropriate packaging and labelling were criteria determining quality.
This advice was contained in Awolowo’s address at one- day sensitisation workshop on appropriate packaging of products for export, organised by the Aba Smart Office of NEPC in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State
Represented by Rose Ekanem, trade promotions advisor, the NEPC boss stated that the council carried out different programmes in the past as part of its effort to ensure that the Aba business community, especially the SMEs, developed their products to meet the required standard for export.
He explained that the workshop intended to create awareness on the right packaging/ quality of products to meet international standards, enlighten participants on the rudiments of export trade, expose them to various NEPC activities and study the participants packaged products and render advisory services to SMEs, during the section, and many others.
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Paul Ajayi of the Abuja Office of NEPC, who delivered a paper titled ‘ Developing packaging and labelling for small and medium enterprises products’, observed that a well packaged product would sell more than high quality product with poor packaging.
According to him, it was a trend that must be followed systematically, based on consumers behaviour towards the packaged product.
He explained further that the dynamic nature of a well packaged product would enhance the sustainability of the safety and the quality of the product.
In his words, “The packaging material preserves and has contact with the product. The packaging material varies from product to product. Consequently, the producer must understand the component of the material,” Ajayi said.
He stressed the need for manufacturers to understand the properties of the packaging materials— physical and chemical—to be used in the packaging of a product for export.
“The producer must understand the compatibility of the material and product as well as environmental factors on the material, among others.”
Other factors he outlined to be considered before packaging products for export included product component, product seize/ shape, dimension/weight, transportation and climate condition of the importing country.
He further pointed out that proper labelling was required to ensure that the consumers have access to complete information on the cont e nt and composition of products in order to derive their satisfaction, noting that good labelling of a product enhanced value addition to packaged product.
