Govt. advocates for establishment of bottle companies

By: Fred Yaw Sarpong

Hon. Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry has announced that government is ready to support manufacturing companies who will be willing to enter into production of bottles for brewery firms in the country.

‘It is sad to not that brewery companies in this country import bottles for their finish products. It is bad and does not order well for us as a country,’ said Hon. Vanderpuye.

Daily Express gathered that the importation of bottle by brewery companies in the country made them incur addition cost of production, and also affect their business operations.

Hon. Vanderpuye said this at the first ever 3-day International Beer and Wine Festival held in Accra. The festival brought together manufacturers, producers and distributors of the beer and wine industry, both local and International, who showcased genuine products while interacting with their consumers who were also educated on various beer and wine products at the event.

While he congratulated some of the brewery companies for going international, he urged the companies to package their product well in order to move beyond Ghana’s border.

‘I know some of you are doing great on the international market. However, we need a lot of you to be recognize internationally. That alone will boost our economy. Companies like GIHOC and Kasapreko and others are doing marvelously well,’ said the Deputy Minister. 

He indicated that apart from the brewery industry government want to support, there are four key areas identified by the government for support. These are rice production, textile industry, poultry and pharmaceutical sector.

    

Mrs. Olivia Opoku-Adomah, Director of Research, Statistics and Information at the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts called on the exhibitors to identify other local traditional drink producers and bring them on board. She mention producers such as Akpeteshie, Sobolo, palm wine and others

‘Let take into consideration of our local drink producers and try to give them the exposure on such a platform,’ said Opoku-Adomah.

Alongside the exhibition, a seminar on the topic: “The Health Benefits of Beer and Wine” took place. Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, former Director General of Ghana Health Service was one of the speakers.

Indeed, over the years, Ghana’s brewing industry has seen a growth in the upward scale as Ghanaians are now moving up into the middle income bracket owing to the improvement of the country’s economy that, in turn, is producing increasing disposable income upwardly affecting lifestyles. Concomitantly, with such a growing market, the industry is growing as well

These developments have seen huge investments coming into the industry, either in the area of manufacturing or distribution, of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Consequently, the industry has grown and this calls for a gathering like this to create the opportunity for an interaction between the industry and its growing market whose tastes are also becoming very sophisticated. 

GIHOC Distilleries Company Limited, Atlantico Limited, Wagcol Limited, Say Cheers, Wine Plus and Accra Brewery Limited (ABL) were among the main sponsors.