The founder and CEO of Erisco Bonpet Group, has expressed discontent over the amount of taxes paid to the government for running a successful business in Nigeria.
The industrialist stated this at the company’s Product Unveiling and Distributors Reward event at Lagos on Tuesday. Umeofia said that if Nigeria Customs Service, NAFDAC and CBN do their job well, Nigeria’s economy would improve significantly in the next six months.
At the event, the manufacturer noted that despite the good intentions of President Muhammadu Buhari in supporting local manufacturers, other key players like ministries and departments have been frustrating the activities of manufacturers in the country through unfavourable policies and high taxation on locally produced goods.
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He advised the government to quit ‘acting like players on a football pitch’ when a business gets hurt and start supporting food production in Nigeria, since that is our advantage to other economies in terms of foreign trade. Adding that the only reason he has remained in business was his passion and love for Nigeria.
“If you must survive, you must eat made in Nigeria food… Secondly, you must give Nigerian Manufacturers respect…You pay more than 15 taxes every month, different kinds of taxes and 30% of other payments every month… Nigerians must be encouraged to produce what we eat if the economy must grow but they prefer anything foreign.
The Chairman, Erisco foods ltd, Alhaji Abubakar Bashir appreciated the distributors for their tenacious efforts towards products distribution in Nigeria.
“They work tirelessly to make sure our products are spread across the country and I want to appreciate them for that.”
Amidst other celebrities, marketers and personalities present at the event was Onyeka onwenu, a brand ambassador to Erisco Foods who encourages made in Nigeria foods and stated this as the major reason she got involved with Erisco Foods in the first place.
“We have to start, this country is so rich and we are hardworking, all we need is for government to have the policies that encourage us.”
While expressing pain over the state of the economy, Managing Director, Erisco Foods Ltd, Mr. Nnamdi Umeofia, explained that indigenous manufacturing companies such as Erisco lacks adequate support from the Nigerian government who encourages food importation instead of local manufacturing.
In his words, “Despite the fact that we are the only indigenous tomato paste manufacturer projecting Nigeria’s image globally through multiple adverts in local and international media…, MDAs appear to be bent on crippling us by denying us the necessary support to expand our operations, with a view to creating more jobs…we have utilized only 15% of our 450,00MT annual installed capacity to produce which could be increased if raw materials are not purchased at a very high rate in parallel markets and the ban on tomato paste in retail packs is fully implemented and enforced.”
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Major distributors of the food processing company were rewarded with over 10million naira worth of cash prizes and awards for their dedication and hard work. It was indeed a joyous moment for the distributors. Mr. IK, Uzoma Ventures from Benin state, got a cash prize of 6 million naira as the Best Distributor of the Year while Kenito Group and Emeka ventures received 3.5 million and 2.5 naira respectively. Our sources gathered that that the distributors are excited to be a part of the leading food production company in Nigeria, noting affordability and top notch quality as the major reasons consumers love the company’s products. A police officer and taxi driver was also rewarded for good conduct.
The newly launched products includes Erisco Green Tea, Erisco Tomato Ketchup, Erisco Pure Rich Flour and Erisco coffe Mix amongst others.
Erisco Foods ltd, an indigenous food manufacturing company is a subsidiary of Erisco Bonpet Group that periodically engages in empowerment initiatives aimed at lifting members of Amichi in Nnewi South Local Government of Anambra State. They are the manufacturers of Ric-Giko, Nagiko and other Erisco brands of tomato paste and other food products with an installed production capacity of 450,000MT of tomato paste per annum making it the largest tomato paste producer in Nigeria and the fourth largest in the world with over 2,000 direct workers.
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