Beer consumers have difficulty finding BRARUDI products and more particularly Amstel. Even parliamentarians are asking the government to find a solution to this problem. However, this company contributes enormously to the national economy.
If the shortage of BRARUDI products continues, some drinking establishments risk going out of business.
The shortage of drinks produced by the BRARUDI company is not new for Burundian fans of the holy foam. It has been reported several times over the past five years or even before. But since mid-April 2024, this problem has probably reached its peak. Consumers of BRARUDI products have joined mass WhatsApp groups in which they exchange or report bars that stock BRARUDI drinks. This is like motorists who also meet in WhatsApp groups whose aim is to find service stations that have fuel.
The shortage of BRARUDI products is growing. It is not uncommon to find a bar completely closed in the middle of the weekend due to lack of beer. Other drinking establishments trying to keep their heads above water only have Primus and lemonades. Amstel-type drinks, for their part, have become very rare. In most cases, when Amstel is available, it is very expensive or the bar managers impose almost unbearable conditions to obtain it. “ Today we were lucky. We have a few boxes of bechou (small Amstel). This drink is only served to the customer who orders at least one skewer », tells us a waitress in a bar in downtown Bujumbura. Later, we learned that the small Amstel costs 5000 FBu instead of 2600 FBu (official price). “ I had to buy a skewer first and then be served as a bechou. I had no choice since I just went at least four days without ingesting the beer. Thirst almost took me away », Reveals a man met in the bar mentioned above. Unfortunately, he was unable to eat his skewer due to a chronic illness that keeps him company. The only alcoholic drink that is sometimes found is Primus. But it costs at least 4000 FBu instead of 2000 FBu (official price).
The owners of the liquor stores say they are operating at a loss. Janvier (pseudo), manager of a bar in Buyenzi (Bujumbura) affirms that under normal conditions, he cannot sell less than 10 cases of beer per day. Unfortunately, today his bar can’t even sell a single case of drinks per day. This is so even though he has to pay the rent and the salaries of five waiters. “ If this situation continues, we will not be able to hold out for long, we will go out of business. », laments the man named Janvier.
The government recognizes the problems of BRARUDI
Even if BRARUDI has not officially communicated about its setbacks, it is going through difficult times. Even parliamentarians are worried about it. They are afraid that this company will close its doors even though it is the flagship of the Burundian tax authorities (one of the largest taxpayers). They ask why this company cannot have permission to export its products in order to generate the foreign currency needed to import raw materials.
Wednesday April 24, 2024, before Parliament meeting in congress, Prime Minister Gervais Ndirakobuca affirmed that BRARUDI sent a letter to the State to explain the problems it faces, in particular the problem of importing raw materials . “ The Burundian state has taken this problem into account, but is reluctant to officially authorize BRAUDI to export its products. The Burundian market is not yet saturated. However, generally, we export the surplus », Specified the Prime Minister. Despite everything, he affirms that the State is working to help BRARUDI import the raw materials it needs.
However, BRARUDI production increases year by year
Despite the shortage of BRARUDI company drinks, its production has increased over the last five years according to statistics from the Bank of the Republic of Burundi (BRB) on the production of the main local industries. As an illustration, from 2019 to 2023, the production of Amstel beer increased from 677 thousand to one million hectoliters. For this same period, production of Primus beer increased from 1.3 million to 1.6 million hectoliters.
Despite the problems BRARUDI faces, it contributes enormously to the national economy. For the 2020-2021 budget year, companies in which the State holds shares paid dividends equivalent to 31.1 billion FBu. However, BRARUDI’s share is 27 billion FBu, or 86%.
However, if this shortage of BRARUDI drinks continues, revenues from beer consumption will decrease, because BRARUDI is one of the largest taxpayers. For the 2020-2021 budget year, the tax on beer consumption contributed 116.3 billion FBu in revenue.
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