The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has picked holes in the reason behind the recent ban imposed on the sale of alcoholic drinks in sachets and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottles, saying that the assertion that it is responsible for the reported increase in alcohol use among the underage is unfounded.

This was revealed in a statement signed by MANs Director General, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, made available to Vanguard on Wednesday.

Recall that the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) announced on February 5, 2024, the ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets and less than 200 ml PET bottles.

The statement recalled that when NAFDAC first proposed the ban, critical stakeholders, including key members of the Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN), raised concerns in a letter dated 6/11/2018 that included the following:

The assertion that the segmentation or packaging of alcoholic beverages in sachets and PET bottles is responsible for the reported increase in alcohol use among the underage is unfounded. Rather, DIBAN was of the view that it is a reflection of a systemic problem with much wider ramifications.

That attributing the alleged increase in the use of hard drugs to the production and sales of alcoholic drinks in sachets and small PET bottles is incorrect; no scientific or other studies have proven this claim.

That packaging and sales of alcoholic beverages in sachets and PET bottles is not the reason for irresponsible use in terms of quantity, intoxication, and other menaces; that this ban will certainly lead to black market or bootlegging; the influx and proliferation of fake and adulterated products; and that it will also damage local manufacturing and negatively affect the economy, as well as the social wellbeing of the people of Nigeria.

MAN called on the government to intensify its activities and support in the form of access control and tighter regulations, but definitely not ban, which will be counterproductive, and that the ban be reversed immediately. (Vanguard)