Rejection of exported products abroad due to poor packaging-NEPC

Despite the recent improvement in products packaging, the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) still believes that poor packaging and labelling are major challenges facing Nigerian products exported overseas, especially products to the United States.

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The Director, Business Development at the Nigeria Investment Promotion Council (NIPC), Mr William Eze, said some made -in -Nigeria products are faced with poor packaging which results in rejection, because branding has become a major tool.

“A recent report says that 30 per cent of our (Nigeria) exports to the US are rejected as a result of poor packaging and labelling, not the quality of the products.

“Packaging has been at the forefront of product development as well as marketing efforts, packaging and branding has been critical marketing tools both in domestic and the export market, wherefore this has underlined the reason manufacturers, producers, medium and small micro enterprises (MSMEs) attend this event, we are in the consumerism era, where consumers determine the market trend; otherwise known as consumer marketing. This has however heightened the rise in social media and internet marketing.”

Speaking further, he stated, ”the problem of packaging in Nigeria today is complex because innovation keeps on changing due to the market trend of consumer demand and behaviour.” Continuing, “We must also follow the business squarely as SMEs or producers. Some made in Nigeria products are faced with poor packaging which results in rejection. A recent report says that 30 per cent of our exports to the US are rejected as a result of poor packaging and labelling, not the quality of the products.”

“In order words, we have to see this exhibition to be very key to our SMEs, producers and entrepreneurs. The topic of the exhibition ‘Environmental Sustainability’ is a critical theme in our country and globally. The supply value chain must be able to meet the demand for the products, the packaging system, he added.

Speaking, George Pearson said this year has seen the Nigerian national and state elections which always have a challenging effect on the business environment, while overall growth in Nigeria has been flat these past 12 months.