KARACHI, May 26: Speakers at a conference on Wednesday underlined the need for effective implementation of consumer protection laws and establishment of accreditation infrastructure to ensure the quality and standard of products.

Speaking at the inaugural session of a two-day Regional Conference on "The Role of Accreditation & Standards in Protecting Consumers in Developing Countries" jointly organised by The Helpline Trust and Pakistan Certification Bodies Association, they stressed for updating consumer protection laws in conformity with the changed conditions, as most of them were remains of the colonial era.

They also called for establishing more quality testing laboratories in the country as the existing few laboratories were insufficient to meet the requirements of safeguarding the rights of consumers.

Sindh Minister for Food and Agriculture Arif Mustafa Jatoi emphasised upon the need for creating awareness among consumers about their rights, as merely laws could not serve the purpose unless the masses were well aware of their rights.

He urged for uniformity in consumer protection laws in order to ensure the standard and quality of products. "Multiple consumer protection laws from various agencies and departments are some of the hurdles in the way of ensuring standard and quality for the benefit of consumers," he observed.

On accreditation of manufactures, he said the country had yet to develop an indigenous accreditation infrastructure. Currently, local manufacturers had to certify their products from international accreditation agencies.

He said that laws were important and government could pass as many laws as people wanted, but unless consumers were empowered to protect their rights, all practices would prove futile.

A true consumers' society could be created after the development of an accreditation infrastructure, creating awareness among the masses and bringing uniformity in consumer protection laws, he added.

Eng Abdul Rashid, director, Pakistan National Accreditation Council in his keynote address said the use of substandard products and services not only affected human health but also left adverse effects on the socio-economic development of any country.

"Developed countries seek standard certification from exporters but unfortunately this is not exercised in developing countries, whose markets are flooded with substandard and counterfeit products," he noted.

He observed that lack of co-ordination among government agencies was a main cause of ineffective consumer-related legislation. "Different government departments have separate criteria to certify products, resulting in the non-enforcement of quality and standard regulations."

Abdul Howk Chowdhury, Director General, Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institute (BSTI) giving details of the standard and quality regulations in his country, said that consumer protection laws were strictly enforced in Bangladesh both for quality and quantity of products.

"BSTI has very stringent regulations for ensuring quality and standard of products. These regulations are not on papers but are enforced in the real sense," he said.

Chairman, Helpline Trust Hameed Maker said that due to lack of effective consumer laws and courts, consumers were being blatantly cheated by glossy, misleading advertisements and were being poisoned by substandard, adulterated and counterfeit products. - PPI