Maravi

Sichula demands quality products in textile industry

Sichula demands quality products in textile industry
By Mutuna Chanda in Kitwe
Wednesday August 13, 2008 [04:00]

ZAMBIA Chamber of Small and Medium Business Associations (ZCSMBA) executive secretary Maxwell Sichula (above) has challenged small-scale textile manufacturers to improve the quality of their products to compete against smuggled goods. In an interview on Sunday, Sichula said the Copperbelt Province and other areas along the line of rail were a huge market for smuggled manufactured articles from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

"Those of our members in small-scale textile manufacturing are facing competition from smuggled chitenge materials for example from DRC," Sichula said. "The Copperbelt due to the increased economic activities is a huge market for chitenge material and salaula (second hand clothes) from DRC and other areas. And this is not unique to just the Copperbelt we have also seen trends in areas along the line of rail for example our colleagues from Zimbabwe are smuggling goods into the country and some of what they smuggle is stretching out to the Copperbelt. So our members have to work hard to improve on the quality of what they manufacture so that they face up with competition."
Sichula said small and medium business enterprises needed to lobby the government to urgently tighten border controls so that unfair competition could be dealt with.

"Our members need to make a lot of noise directed at the government to improve the border security situation to curb smuggling," Sichula said.

"If there's efficiency at the border and smuggling is minimised, even the government will benefit as they will increase their earnings through duty."

And Sichula said the officials from the Chililabombwe District Business Association were in touch with their Congolese counterparts on modalities of increasing trade between Zambia and DRC.

"We have been building a warehouse at Kasumbalesa for members to use for exports to Congo," said Sichula. "The Congo is a huge market for Zambian products especially food products.”

Labels: MAXWELL SICHULA, QUALITY ASSURANCE, ZCSMBA

posted by MrK @ 6:12 AM