The Federal Government has commended Shongai Packaging Limited for its export drive, which is a fallout of the company’s waste-to-wealth project initiative.
The company has also concluded plans to export plastic pallets, a product it produced through the recycling of plastic wastes, to West African countries.
Speaking during the launch of the company’s new product and a factory tour which held at the company’s factory in Ota, Ogun State, the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Aisha Abubakar, stated that the innovative products, services and production processes of the company fit into the Federal Government’s economic recovery plan that in turn would translate into economic prosperity for Nigerians.
According to the minister who was represented by Battah Ndirpaya, the director in charge of inspectorate departmnent of the ministry, it is an exciting project.
“It creates jobs and generates wealth, especially for the youth and women in this surrounding and beyond. I understand the end product, that is, the pallet is manufactured from plastic waste,” Ndirpaya said. “I am also informed that pallet comes with high demand from the export market, thereby making it a foreign exchange earner.”
The minister further lauded Shongai Packaging Limited because environmentally, the raw materials for the product: plastics, are being picked up from our streets and gutters and this in turn helps clean up our surroundings and help in reducing the spread of diseases.
Also giving kudos to the company’s export initiative, Ogun State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru explained that exporting the plastic pallets will help the economy grow significantly and lead the country out of its present challenges.
Ashiru, however, cautioned manufacturers not to concentrate a larger percentage of their production on exportation at the expense of the needs of people locally because if that happens, the country might fall into economic crisis that would be difficult to come out of.
Earlier, Arjan Mirchandani, the Chairman of Sona Group of Companies, parent company of Shongai Packaging Limited, pointed out that the materials used to produce the plastic pallets were sourced from waste, adding that lot of jobs have been created, with the country’s eco-system being protected, preventing deforestation which has negative impact on the environment and on the climate.
This, he noted is due to the shift from wood pallet manufacturing common in the country to plastic pallets.
Similarly, Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), Ogun State Coordinator, Engr. Samuel Ayuba disclosed that the product is of international standards, while urging Nigerians to buy made-in-Nigeria products.
Lamenting on the challenges confronting industries, Wale Adegbite of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Ogun State pleaded with government to provide key infrastructures like good roads and power to create enabling operating environment for manufacturers.
Olusola Bello
