Shopkeepers in Papua New Guinea have been given until the end of August to remove fake foreign-made bilum bags and meri blouse dresses.
Fake bilum bags in Papua New Guinea Photo: RNZI/Melvin Levongo
The Post Courier reported the commerce and trade minister made the call yesterday for retailers to voluntarily remove imitations of the "much-adored" hand woven bag and clothing item.
Wera Mori said there had been grave concerns about the mass production of items that are part of PNG culture and he called on foreign investors in PNG to respect that.
Mr Mori said the retailers should remove any bilums or meri blouses that are mass produced or manufactured offshore.
He said the foreign-made blouses were sold cheaply, undercutting hardworking Papua New Guinean mothers who spend endless hours tailoring their own specific designs.
"They are part and parcel of our cultural heritage which are intrinsically built into our customs. They cannot be mass-produced for commercial purposes."
He also called for customs staff to be diligent in confiscating the fakes at the wharf.
The bilum string bag is a reserved activity under the Investment Promotion Authority Act 1992, the minister said.
"We will give them till the end of this month, end of August, and if they do not then they will be dealt with appropriately," Minister Mori told the Post Courier.
