By ’Mathabana Kotelo
MASERU — Plans are afoot to set up a bureau of standards to improve the quality of local products to meet international standards the ministry of trade and industry announced yesterday.
The standards board will serve to assess and monitor the quality of goods produced locally.
Speaking about the project, principal secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Moahloli Mphaka, said the ministry sought to improve the competitiveness of Lesotho exports in international markets to drive economic growth.
“We are also working on commercialising agriculture and to negotiate international markets for agricultural exports.
“If we have quality products, we can be able to compete on international export markets,” Mphaka said.
He said the bureau of standards will be similar to neighbouring South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) and will certify the quality of our local goods and ensure that they meet international standards.
According to Mphaka, the trade and industry ministry has recently completed work on the consumer protection policy document that will inform consumers on the rights to quality products, among others.
Lesotho has previously relied on the SABS for quality assurance on products which the ministry of trade and industry oversees through the department of standards and quality assurance.
