Local input preference in wine industry hits 91%

Many domestic manufacturers are sourcing a lot of their raw materials locally. This point is validated by the local input content/preference in the wine industry which has reached 91 percent, Frank S. Udemba Jacobs, president, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), who is also the CEO of Jacobs Wines, disclosed to Real Sector Watch.

Wine is an alcoholic beverage that is often produced through the partial or total fermentation of grapes.

“Most of the challenges our members have, we do not have them. The reason is that 91 percent of raw materials are sourced locally. That is what makes it easier for us,” Jacobs said.

According to him, the problem the wine industry has is the wrong attitude of Nigerians towards made-in-Nigeria products.

“Many Nigerians believe that anything made in this country is inferior, which is unfortunate. Our locally made products are not inferior.

“I am pleading with Nigerians to know that the only way we can grow the economy is to begin to patronise made-in-Nigeria goods. The only way companies can grow and we generate more employment is to patronise local products,” he said.

Goods produced in the country are certified by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) or National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), he said, stressing that your products must meet international standards before they can certify them.

“Our concern as manufacturers is that government should do everything possible to prevent the influx of sub-standard products into the country. In the cable industry, Nigerian products are superior to Chinese. In fact, Chinese products are the sub-standard ones we are talking about,” he said.

“There is a certain tomato paste in the market which is sub-standard. If you look at the colour of the paste and compare it with the genuine one, you will see the difference. They use colorants. One of our members brought the paste and we are taking up the matter with NAFDAC,” he said.

He said many Nigerian consumers often confuse imported products, which are sub-standard, as locally made ones and asked Nigerians to appreciate the domestic industry.

He assured that the National Quality Infrastructure Scheme (NQIS), which is funded by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), will further enhance acceptability of locally made goods in all parts of the world, stressing that the scheme will ensure that all laboratories in the country were certified.

ODINAKA ANUDU