Logo needs protecting

THE Papua New Guinea Manufacturers Council wants the Government to penalise people and companies using the “PNG Made” logo illegally on their products.
Chief executive officer Chey Scovell urged the Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) and other regulators to address the issue.
“I am tired of saying this, but I want the government, whether provincial, local or national to put in a law, that says that if you steal this logo, you are going to get penalised,” Scovell said during the IPA hosted Business Regulators Summit in Port Moresby on Friday.
He said Papua New Guineans valued and trusted the PNG Made logo.
Scovell said a survey of consumers found that 97 per cent of Papua New Guineans recognised the logo; 94 per cent believed the logo ensured a high quality national product; 83 per cent understood that buying PNG made products was supporting local employment; however, only 14 or 15 per cent of Papua New Guineans surveyed said they actually looked for the logo.
He said products ranging from beverages to ice cream, biscuits had the logo on even though the products were not made in the country.
“I can’t go and take it off their shelves, people come to my office and complain but I am toothless, I want strong recommendations out of this forum,” Scovell said. He said the PNG made logo needed to be protected.
“We need the regulators to put penalties such as K100 per unit of product, K100,000 because these companies are making profits,” he said.
“They are probably not paying taxes, they are probably not employing our people, if they are, they are not paying their superannuation’s and we have no idea if the products are safe.
“We can’t afford the good manufacturers in PNG to think that products with this logo on it are not safe.”