Illustration (Warta Kota/Angga Bagya Nugraha via tribunnews.com)

Business owners are speaking out against the issuance of Ministerial Regulation No. 6/2015 on the control and supervision of the production, distribution and sale of alcoholic beverages.

'€œWe want to speak with the government. We are ready to do business in accordance with the procedures but we have become victims of discrimination,'€ said Alcoholic Beverages Association chairman Bambang Britono as reported by tribunnews.com on Saturday.

Referring to a ban on the sale of Group A alcoholic beverages, or those with 5 percent alcohol content, in all minimarkets nationwide, Bambang, said many liquor products had been withdrawn from the market. He said although the regulation came into effect last April, most Group A beverages were taken off the market in January because local administrations had begun conducting raids.

Bambang added that the production of alcohol had decreased by about 50 percent since the issuance of the regulation and that many liquor producers had been forced to lay off workers.

Meanwhile, logistics and distribution infrastructure director at the Trade Ministry, Jimmy Bella, said that the government had not included the distribution and sale of alcohol in the economic packages announced by the government, as initially planned.

'€œPolicy on alcohol distribution was not included in the deregulation packages,'€ Jimmy said on Saturday.

The government had previously said that it would relax the sale of liquor and allow regional administrations to determine the locations where people could purchase alcoholic beverages. (bbn) (++++)

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