A few weeks ago, we brought to you a story of counterfeit antimalarials from China being labeled as “Made in India,” then sold in Nigeria. Turns out it’s not just drugs.

Fine, clothing with the wrong country of origin isn’t going to kill anybody, but is still problematic. The stream of fake Indian imports affects the market for real Indian imports. The India Times has the story:

Reacting to the development, Confederation of Indian Textile Industry said: “It is a cause for concern and we have to gauge its impact. China is the largest exporter of textiles, with 25 percent of market share. We have just 4 percent of market share. So they are a threat in the medium term.”

According to the Export Promotion Council for Handicraft (EPCH), export of textiles and ready-made garments – cotton, natural silk, woollen and man-made yarn – to Nigeria virtually halved from Rs.224.7 crore in 2006-07 to Rs.119.2 crore in 2007-08 because of the fake Chinese products.

Crore is a unit in the Indian numbering system; it has different meanings around the world but stands for ten million in India. Therefore, exports to Nigeria fell from Rs. 2.24 billion to Rs. 1.19 billion, or from $46.9 million to $24.9 million in US dollars.

And now, fake ‘Made in India’ Chinese garments in Nigeria [India Times] (Thanks, HiPwr!)

Photo: Russ Neumeier

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