Ministry closes 13 liquor sachets factories

Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism Joseph Mwanamvekha told Parliament yesterday that government has closed 13 liquor sachet factories.

The minister made the announcement in response to the growing concern by the members of Parliament (MPs) on the liquor which government banned, but people started producing the same packed in plastic bottles.

Kasungu Central MP Amon Nkhata (Malawi Congress Party-MCP) wanted to know what government was doing to control drug and alcohol influence, especially the cheap liquor packaged in sachets and is now packed in plastic bottles. He said: “We all know that government banned

the sachets, but of late we have seen the coming in of the same liquor in bottles, what is government doing to avoid the bottled midoli, punchers and blockbuster which have a negative impact on the

youth and the elderly. In other countries these were banned, but here in Malawi we are doing nothing.”

In his response, Mwanamvekha assured the members that government has completely closed down companies producing the liquor and is working tirelessly to control the smuggled liquor.

“I know we passed the law to ban the sachets in this same House and as I am speaking now there is a ruling by the High Court for a total

ban of the sachets and as such, we have closed down 13 factories that locally produce the liquor, the ones you see on the streets are fruitsof smuggling and those coming from outside, but we are also working on that,” he said.