Made in-Aba Fair: Exhibitors say products are better packaged

Two exhibitors at the fourth edition of Made–in-Aba Trade Fair say there have been improvements in the quality and packaging of products exhibited at the fair.

However, one of the exhibitors at the fair, which opened in Abuja on Monday and ended on Friday, described patronage at the show as low.

He blamed low sales at the fair on poor publicity by the organisers.

Mr Okechukwu Williams, President Leather Products Manufacturers Association of Abia State, told our reporter that exhibitors witnessed low patronage for their products because the fair was not well publicised.

Williams said that another challenge of the fair was the venue in which it held.

He said 2016 edition had better patronage because of the venue that it was held.

He said that Arts and Crafts Centre where the year’s edition held was   relatively unknown by many.

Williams, however, said that a number of things made the fourth edition different from other editions.

He listed some of the differences as good packaging of products, high quality and good branding of the goods and services.

Mr Andrew Etim, an exhibitor and shoe manufacturer, rated the fair as the best so far held.

He said the fair was 95 per cent successful in terms of patronage, branding, packaging and quality of products exhibited compared to the situation in the past.

Etim called on the federal and Abia governments to assist in sponsoring the fair instead of leaving it to only Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe, who initiated it.

He condemned manufacturers labelling their products as foreign made but blamed the practice on the preference of Nigerians for foreign made goods to locally produced ones.

Etim expressed appreciation to Abaribe and called on the government to assist him in organising future fairs.

Meanwhile, Mrs Unachukwu Eyiuche , the Coordinator of  Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, Idu, Abuja,  said the agency had helped to link some small and medium  enterprises (SMEs) with big manufacturers abroad.

She said the agency had also linked SMEs to sources of raw material as well as in writing business plans.

Eyiuche called on Nigerians to buy Nigerian made goods to grow the economy.

The first edition of fair held in 2013 and was sponsored Abaribe, representing Abia South Senatorial District in the National Assembly.