【行管第27天】马新咖啡茶业联总 促重新允许啤酒业复工
马新咖啡茶业联合总会表示，该会全力支持行管令的二度展延，不过促请政府重新考虑允许让啤酒业复工复销，确保啤酒市场的供应链稳定，同时也让商家及咖啡店业者为国家经济继续作贡献。该会周一发文告表示，政府延长行管令至4月28日，部分领域因此允许获得复工，该会遗憾啤酒业依然排除在外。“大马两家主要酿酒厂即CARLSBERG及HEINEKEN早前在4月6日，已收到官方批准信允许酒业复产和复销，不过却在同日被撤回。
”该会认为，政府撤销啤酒的决定，令全国45个地方属会的2万多名咖啡茶餐店业者，失去售卖啤酒作为收入来源之一。
“在行管令执行期间，咖啡店继续为地方社群提供价格合理的餐饮服务，为广大民众带来方便和需求。”
总会长拿督何子孟指出，该会业者会员严格遵守政府所发出的指令，协助国家制止新冠病毒疫情的扩散，其中包括不允许在咖啡店用餐，只提供外带服务。
“我们只让消费者在附近购买啤酒回家，让庞大顾客依然可以在家里享用餐饮，这不仅确保了社交距离的执行，民众也不必远行购买饮食。”
他表示，啤酒饮品是咖啡店的主要零售点之一，禁止啤酒的生产和分销，也同时将导致许多业者的啤酒库存锐减，以及收入大受影响。
他说，咖啡店属于中小型企业，为大马的国内生产总值贡献许多力量；而啤酒业于2019年则为政府贡献了22亿令吉的税源。
MCO: Coffee shop association appeals to govt to allow production, distribution of beer products.
PETALING JAYA: PETALING JAYA: Coffee shop owners have appealed to the government to allow for the production and distribution of beer products.
The Malaysia-Singapore Coffee Shop Proprietors’ General Association (MSCSPGA) said it notes with regret the exclusion of the beer industry, following the previous granting and subsequent revocation of distribution permits on April 6,2020, to the two main brewers in Malaysia.
It said the decision to revoke permission for the production and supply of beer towards non-Muslim community and businesses, including 20,000 members of its association was unfair.
“During the movement control order (MCO), coffee shops continue to serve the needs of local communities by providing affordable and convenient meals and beverages.
“MSCSPGA members are doing their part to contain the spread of Covid-2019 by preventing eat-in dining while providing takeaway services including beer.
“Through our members’ continued operations, we support and encourage social distancing for customers to enjoy food and beverage from their nearest coffee shop in their own homes instead of travelling long distances for their favourite meals – an action prohibited under the MCO, ” its president Datuk Ho Su Mong said in a statement on Monday (April 13).
He said that coffee shops are an important retail point for beer and by prohibiting the production and distribution, their members were deprived of a source of income crucial to coffee shop owners even as their revenues were impacted by the MCO.
Ho said that the coffee shop industry is part of the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which in total contributed 36.6% towards Malaysia’s GDP in 2016.
He said that on top of the taxes collected from the beer industry, which came up to RM2.2bil in 2019, coffee shops also contribute in taxes annually.
“Whilst our association fully supports the reasons behind the extension of the MCO, we appeal to the government to reconsider including beer products as an essential part of the services coffee shops provide to non-Muslim consumers.
“The resumption of beer supply will help sustain the livelihood of our members which are under tremendous financial challenges during the MCO, and to keep businesses afloat so our members can continue our contribution to local communities and the nation’s economy in the period thereafter, ” said Ho.
The government recently revoked its decision to allow Heineken Malaysia Bhd and Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Bhd to continue their operations during the MCO after criticism from various groups and political parties.
