PNG needs strong trade marketing team: Official

By CLARISSA MOI
PAPUA New Guinea should have a strong team to market the country’s products and negotiate at the World Trade Organisation, according to the National Institute of Standards and Industrial Technology (Nisit).
Director-general Victor Gabi said this when asked about the country’s standards in terms of trade with other countries.
He said there was a need to look at the multilateral trading systems and see what the country could do to enhance free trade between countries.
“What we are having in terms of trading negotiations is that countries have the upperhand in trading with us, so when you go through a free trade agreement with a number of countries, they seem to get the better of PNG because they bring in a lot of products,” Gabi told The National.
“They beat us with the trade numbers.
“For instance our bilateral trade with Australia; they kill us hands down with the number of products coming to us, we have very little going to them.
“And that’s because of issues with technical areas of trade and one of the key areas of trade is standards.
“You can have something to sell but it’s the buyers’ choice, hence the features of your products need to meet some standards in order for them (buyers) to be able to buy your products.”
Gabi also noted that not many people and businesses in the country were seeking advice from Nisit regarding the need to improve the standard of their products.
“Whatever (businesses) that the people are doing, they must make standards important because at the end of the day, their buyer is interested in that,” he said.