IMM President, Isabel Kachinjika, says that marketers need to be able to understand the needs of the clients better and to be able to produce quality items.

She said this on Friday in Blantyre during the Buy Malawi Town Hall Meeting which the institute engaged various stakeholders in the industry.

“Now we are operating in a global economy where somebody can decide to buy from another country online. We are competing with manufacturers across the globe. As marketers, we need to be able to understand the needs of the clients better and to be able to produce quality items.

“One of our biggest mandate is to support government efforts in making sure that we have a more productive industry that we are producing more, we have better skilled marketers and the issue of buy Malawi is key to that,” she said.

Kachinjika added that “we also need the support of policy makers. That is why we thought of having this platform where we have brought in those who are actively involved in marketing as well as policy makers to see how we can complement each other’s efforts to make sure that we have a sustainable solution with regards to the industry in Malawi.”

Minister of trade, Simplex Chithyola, expressed satisfaction with what the Buy Malawi Strategy has achieved in the country.

“If you look at the volume of stocks in many retails and wholesales now, you will agree with me that we have made tremendous strides in terms of promoting the buy Malawi Strategy.

“I also alluded to the fact that we still have some bottlenecks in terms of upping the game where quality and standards are concerned. Malawian producers should reach levels where their products should meet international standards to withstand the pressures of the international market,” he said.