The Chartered Institute of Professional Printers of Nigeria (CIPPON) has solicited the cooperation and support of allied companies in the printing industry in advocating for low tariffs and government waivers where possible on importation of raw materials for the industry.
President of CIPPON, Comrade Babajide Salako, who sent out this invitation added that this was necessary in tackling the high high importation tariffs and other government policies affecting the printing industry.
“We cannot be in healthy competition when we are being confronted with prices that are extremely low compared to what we have here. To address this, government should assist the printing industry by stopping the importation of educational materials. If anyone then brings in finished educational materials, government can now place a duty charge on them to level the playing field,” he said.
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Speaking during a facility tour of the Nixin Paper Mill located on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Salako also used the opportunity to extend an invitation to the management of the paper mill to team up with CIPPON and join the advocacy to make things easier in the print industry.
Registering as a member of the Institute, Salako said, will afford all related companies in the printing industry to identify their challenges and as one, find ways to overcome them.
He said the Institute had made presentation to government and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the past for ballot papers to be printed locally so as to save foreign exchange and encourage local printers, and the government yielded to its request.
Business Manager of Nixon Paper Mill, Mr. Williams Sun, who received members of the Institute at the company, to his visitors that his company still relies on imported chemical pulp, which is mixed with wood pulp.
He said if Nixin were to produce purely chemical pulp, the company would need heavy investment in a recycling system to manage the chemicals and prevent damaging the environment,” he explained.
Due to the cost of these imported materials, Mr Sun said some printers might perceive their prices as high.
“In as much as we try to keep our prices as low as possible, we don’t compromise on quality. We keep improving every time on the quality of our products”, Sun said.
On CIPPON’s request to combine orders from members for products from Nixin, Sun said the company will support the Institute if members can gather under CIPPON’s umbrella and order for their products, as far as their order meets the 30 to 35 tonnes required by the company.
Sun told his visitors that products distribution is a major challenge of his company. He said the company produces an average of 6,000 tons of paper monthly but market demand exceeds about 20,000 tons per month.
