Indonesian food and beverage producers to Africa and Latin America are raising concerns with their government about high import tariffs in these countries.
In a report published in the Jakarta Post on Tuesday, the chairman of the Indonesian Food and Beverage Association (GAPMMI), Adhi Lukman, said “these import tariffs ranged between 20% and 40%.
Indonesia’s hardline Islamist political parties have proposed a bill to parliament that will ban alcohol sale and consumption in the southeast Asia archipelago.
The United Development Party (PPP) and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) are some of the parties behind the push to ban the manufacture, sale and consumption of alcohol in the country. They say they are not doing it for religious or ideological reasons, but purely to protect the life of Indonesian children.
Diageo, the world’s largest spirit company is scrambling to reinvent itself as its famous Guinness Stout faces opposition in a largely Muslim Indonesia. The government placed a ban on alcohol sales in mini-markets and convenience stores in April. To counter the ban, the company launched a new alcohol-free Guinness made exclusively for Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest market.
Recent tide towards conservatism in Indonesia, a majority Muslim country and concerns about underage drinking caused the government to ban sales of alcohol in certain stores.
