‘Enough is enough’ says wine industry body on alcohol ban
Many wine businesses have already closed down due to the previous and current trade restrictions, says industry body.
THE South African wine industry, including wine tourism, is in a state of disaster.
That’s according to Rico Basson, MD of the wine industry body, Vinpro.
Basson said urgent intervention is needed or else one of the oldest agricultural industries in the country will not survive due to the current lockdown regulations prohibiting the sale of alcohol.
“Many wine businesses have already closed down due to the previous and current trade restrictions, and the rest of the industry will simply not survive a continued alcohol ban, leaving tens of thousands of employees without any income, possibilities or hope,” he said.
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The wine industry has geared itself to reopen domestic trade and distribution with all necessary health and safety regulations in place, while focusing on changing behaviour with regard to responsible production, promotion, trade and consumption.
Vinpro, a non-profit company which represents 3 500 South African wine producers, cellars and industry stakeholders has been in frequent deliberations with government since the lockdown was announced in March 2020.
“Our producers are already preparing for the 2021 wine harvest, however with close to 300 million litres of surplus wine still in cellar tanks, we might not have space for the new crop. The situation is dire,” Basson says.
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Basson says the industry understands that the current situation remains extremely complex, but because of the decline in the infection rate in the Western Cape and other provinces, increased capacity at hospitals and agreed upon proposals, there is absolutely no reason to keep the current ban on wine sales in place.
“Enough is enough. If you think about it rationally, the ban doesn’t make sense anymore. We have done our utmost to save lives, however, the time has come to now save the livelihoods of the people who work in and depend on the South African wine industry,” says Basson.
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At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.
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