Boozing on the rise in Jaffna

With the liberation of the north followed by the opening of the A9 highway recently, the consumption of alcoholic beverages in the Northern Region is increasing with distributors recording a sharp upturn in sales, dealers said. The sudden rise in sales could be mainly due to the availability of the product in the region along with the removal of illegal taxes applied to the product, as was the case sometime ago.
“The increase in sales could be because alcoholic beverages are now widely available in the region as transport restrictions have now been eased with the opening of the A9 highway,” Ranjula Gurusinghe, Sales Administration Manager of Ceylon Brewery Co. Plc told The Bottom Line.
She added that the increase in demand for liquor in the region could be due to the affordability factor as the product is now sold only at its stipulated retail price.
“The reason for the increase in the penetration of liquor could also be due to the fact that people find it more affordable now with the removal of illegal taxes,” she said.
Meanwhile, in a similar vein, General Manager of W. M. Mendis, Wijedoru Mohan said that the best selling alcohol drinks in the region amongst their brands were Mendis Coconut arrack and blended arrack according to company statistics.
“The situation is similar to the period when the ceasefire agreement (CFA) in 2002 was reached where similarly there was a sudden high demand for the product as people wanted to try it after so long,” another industry official who wished to remain anonymous said.
However, society friendly organisations feel that the rise in the level of alcohol consumption could lead to domestic violence and create disputes in society. According to a survey, during the CFA some 25,000 bottles of arrack were sent from the south on a monthly basis while another 25,000 bottles of arrack made of palmyrah were also distilled locally. It has to be noted that several thousand barrels of toddy were also manufactured locally and even illicit liquor like ‘kassipu’ was widely consumed at the time.
Surprisingly, alcohol consumption in Sri Lanka is higher among poor families compared to the rich. Poor households tend to spend a greater percentage of their income on alcohol.
“In the north, you have a substantial people of the fishing and the farming community who toil all day for their living. This section of the society generally tends to get addicted to liquor,” an industry official said.
Meanwhile, a recent study on the urban poor in Sri Lanka showed families that consumed alcohol spent more than 30% of their total expenditure on alcohol. Another survey conducted in six Sri Lankan districts found that between 30 and 50% of the income of low-income families was spent on alcohol and tobacco. Thus, the reality about alcohol consumption is that the developed countries are drinking less and, in contrast, consumption in developing countries is increasing.
(AR)