3.6 The state of regional development
The state of the packaging industry varies within and across regions as its growth is contingent upon the
regional economic development and the production and market potentials of major commodities. The
state of the packaging industry (based on selected country samples) is presented in Table 2, highlighting
regional differences on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) as derived from
their respective food industry’s status and development. The SWOT analysis shows a relatively young
packaging sector that has a strong potential for development, backed up by a promising agricultural sector
Though promising, the agricultural sector is generally in an underdeveloped state, often too slow to adapt
to new technologies and is suffering from structural shortcomings, thereby restricting its ability to tap
into export potentials. Therefore, both the sectors of packaging and agriculture, need strong support on
the infrastructure and facilities front, if sustained development is to be pursued.