Nile Breweries Limited (NBL) on Wednesday launched a campaign against the sale and consumption of alcohol in Uganda.
The campaign, dubbed ‘Mind Your Drink’, was launched at Silver Springs Hotel, Kampala, in partnership with the Uganda Alcohol Industry Association (UAIA), Uganda Bureau of Standards (UNBS), Uganda Police and the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA).
The move comes in the wake of the recent death of over a dozen people in Arua after drinking an illicit spirit. Therefore Mind Your Drink is aimed at creating public awareness about the dangers of illicit alcohol.
Alcohol, accounting for 65 per cent of the alcohol market in Uganda, is neither registered nor certified nor does it pay taxes, this is dangerous to the health of the consumers and undermines the economic development of the country.
Speaking during the launch, the Chairman of the Uganda Alcohol Industry Association (UAIA) also the Legal and Corporate Affairs Director at NBL, Onapito Ekomoloit said the campaign calls for all Ugandans and those dealing in beverages to join the fight against this scrupulous trade.
He added that despite the banning of sachet spirits in June 2019 as one way of eliminating unregulated alcohol from the market, Uganda remains a hotspot for its trade and consumption.
The illicit alcoholic drinks are now packaged in PET bottles, recycled mineral water bottles, and other types of packaging and sold openly countrywide. According to the 2021 Euromonitor International report, illicit alcohol consumption increased to 64.7 per cent in Uganda.
“Alcohol was originally invented to create happiness. However, there are people that are giving it a bad name by not following the right rules and regulations in producing, selling and consuming it. There is a strong need to fight against illegal alcohol because of its adverse effects on the consumers’ health, society and the economy,’’ he said. Adding “Such deaths have happened over the years and make this campaign timely. It calls for all of us to join the fight against this unscrupulous trade.”
According to Onapito, the harsh economic conditions and the down-trading impact of Covid-19 have resulted in the formal beer industry losing market down to 35.5 per cent, raising concerns over government tax revenues, grain farmers’ market and the licit industry jobs.
“We’re concerned about the welfare of our consumers. We believe in fair competition. We don’t want other alcohol out of the market, we just want it to be a levelled playing field. I call upon consumers to not only buy but also consume alcohol that has been checked by legal authorities and proper for your health,” he said.
The treasurer of the Uganda Alcohol Industry Association, M.S Reddy also noted that all stakeholders should join the fight in their different capacities to completely defeat this illegal trade since undermines the efforts of regulated businesses and beverage producers.
“As UAIA, our main focus has always been on promoting responsible drinking and protecting the alcohol industry from unfair competition. We believe that this campaign will encourage people to think about themselves and those closest to them and make the right decision to never purchase or consume illicit alcoholic beverages,” he said.
Sustainability Manager at NBL, Clare Asiimwe noted that the consumption of illicit alcohol is thriving because there is a ready market for it since it is sold at low prices compared to regulated alcohol.
“Illicit alcohol refers to all alcoholic beverages that are not complying with the regulations and taxes in the countries where they are consumed, resulting in serious health risks to consumers, revenue loss, and brand degradation for legitimate manufacturers. Such alcohol leads to brand degradation to manufacturers.”
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