Stakeholders in the food, beverage and tobacco sub-sector have called on the Federal Government to suspend its proposed increase on excise duty rates on alcoholic beverages and tobacco products which is set to go into effect on June 4, 2018.

The group said that it was with deep regret that the government was making plans to raise the excise duty rates at a time industry producers were experiencing declining volumes and contracting margins, noting that the effect of absorbing the cost of the new excise duty regime would be over-whelming on industry players.