Improve quality, quantity of local produce: Samb

IMPORTING food products is based on bilateral relations which should be respected, but work must be done to increase the quantity and improve the quality of local products, an official says.
Acting Minister for Commerce and Trade William Samb was responding to Southern Highlands Governor William Powi’s query in Parliament about people not getting into potato farming because of its low price which was affecting the potato chip factory in the province.
Powi suggested that import of chips from overseas be banned as it was competing with locals.
Samb said there was a plan on empowering farmers through the Department’s Small-Medium Enterprise Corporation.
“Firstly, importation of chips whether expensive or not is the issue of the Foreign Affairs and Trade department because of bilateral relations,” he said.
“On the issue of controlling or putting a ban to imports, we cannot prematurely do that as we have a bilateral agreement in place which we need to respect.
“Secondly, either the operator finds that there is more value in getting cheaper product from overseas here to make economic use of or our people are not giving the required quantity at the required quality.
He said it was good that the question was directed to the Ministry of Commerce as it highlights the SME Policy, SME local participation and downstream processing which the Government was promoting which would have direct benefit to SMEs and empowering local content, hence the circulation of cash flow in our country.