Call to buy local products

 By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK 

A LOCAL agriculture association has called on Papua New Guineans to buy local products and support local industries.

“We must be like the Australians and the Japanese people. They prefer buying their own products to support their economy, ” Farmers and Settlers Association president Wilson Thompson said last week.

Thompson urged Papua New Guineans to help boost the national economy by buying local products to compete with an onslaught of imported products. 

“The onus is up to the people of PNG to support local industries,” he said.

“Yes, there is so much debate at the policy level on the issues of imported vegetables and poultry products by agriculture and business experts. 

“But we have to do our part. 

“When we go shopping, always have the nation’s interest at heart and buy local products because you are developing the local farmers in the rural areas to have an income.”

Thompson said that there were PNG made products like spices, eggs, chicken, coffee, jam, honey, and tea and clothing items like crocodile skin shoes, belts, sandals etc. 

“We have our own coffee products. But yet we are buying imported coffee products,” he said. “When you buy local products, your money stays in the country.”

Thompson also called on the Commerce and Industry Department to carry out media awareness and advertisements to encourage locals to buy local products. 

“The Australian Trade Department has conducted a massive media awareness to encourage Australians to buy Australian products. And our Commerce and Industry Department should be doing the same,” he said.

“Right now, individual business houses are doing their own advertisements to market their products. 

“The PNG Manufactures Council is also doing that. But they are only advertising their members’ products. And small local producers cannot meet their hefty annual membership fees to benefit from their (PNGMC) incentives.”