WHY A NATIONAL QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE?
AS long as international trade was limited and manufacturers and suppliers came from the same economic zone, no driving force existed to harmonise standards and measure units. Nowadays, the impacts of the steady growth of global trade are more and more visible and many firms and industries now have organizational structures that extend across national and regional borders.  This has led to the formation of truly global-scale economic systems; today, the process of economic development cannot be isolated from these global systems.
Industrialised countries have had centuries to improve and come up with functioning metrology, standardisation, testing and quality management systems (know as MSTQ or similar abbreviations).  By proving their technical competence through several means of evaluations and comparisons, they have achieved multilateral recognition.
In contrast, to compete with their industrialised counterparts, developing economies have to catch up fast in all relevant fields of export requirements, food safety, consumer protection or health issues.  However, a realistic view shows in many countries a fragmented and uncoordinated system, with unclear responsibilities, either accepted only for certain components on a bilateral basis, periodically inspected and supervised by the importing country, or simply not recognized internationally.
What is a quality infrastructure?
Quality infrastructure (QI), refers here to all aspects as metrology, standardization, testing, and quality management, including certification and accreditation. This includes both public and private institutions and the regulatory framework within which they operate. Metrology, standards, testing and quality management are vital components of the quality infrastructure which together help to determine whether products meet consumer expectations, although some consumers are not always aware of all that goes into producing a quality product.
Some prime target groups that should implement a quality infrastructure in their operations would include businesses and producers in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, craft and furniture manufacturing trades and other small and medium sized who will benefit from a trade sector regulated by reliable QI services even though they may believe that they can circumvent the process and receive some measure of success But in time they will find out that success was short-lived as they will not be able to expand their market share and hence maximize their profits; and one key factor  to be remembered is that this goal can be achieved only when they are able to continually provide  to their buyers, proof of the quality of their products.