Accra, Aug. 14, GNA - Mr Kwadwo Affram Asiedu, Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and President's Special Initiative, on Monday urged producers of Batik Tie & Dye to come together to promote their common interest.

He also urged them to take advantage of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) initiative and export their products to the United States market.

Mr Affram Asiedu was speaking at the opening of a five-day workshop to develop a quality control stamp as well as train quality controllers for the Batik-Tie-and Dye Association of Ghana (BATMAG) in Accra. The workshop organized by the Greater Accra Branch of the Association would also seek to identify locally produced material from cheap and inferior imports.

He said the Government was setting up a bank to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and urged members to avail themselves of that opportunity.

He called on BATMAG to cooperate with the Ghana Standards Board on the stamps and quality controllers to differentiate their products from fake ones.

Mrs Nabilla Williams, President of the Greater Accra Batik Tie and Dye Association, said the high cost of inputs and overheads was making it difficult for local producers to source credit facilities from financial institutions to expand their businesses since most of them did not have the required collateral.

He said the free trade policy of the Government and the unbridled cross-boarder influx of cheap and inferior Batik Tie and Dye products from neighbouring countries were pushing local producers out. She said officialdom was paying lip service to promoting 93Made in Ghana Goods=94, including Batik Tie and Dye, pointing out that western suits and imported clothing had become status symbol than home made clothes.

Mrs Williams suggested that the Government should introduce a more friendly trade policy environment to level the ground of competition. She called for State recognition, support and strengthening of their national and regional associations and the fostering of business opportunities between the association and fashion designers and models.