The price of Seybrew products goes up!
The local brewery ‘Seybrew’ has announced an increase in the price of its products. The increase is broad affecting all of its products. The brewery has explained that this hike in prices is basically due to the fall of the rupee against the dollar as the economic impact of the COVID19 ravages the coun-try. This will make drinks in general more expensive locally and the few visitors who do come here as well as the local population will feel the pinch.
While parents will easily adjust to buying less soft drinks for their children, since there is already a campaign to curb the intake of sugared drinks, it won’t be the same case for those who drink beer and other alcoholic beverages. Traditionally here it has sadly been a case of parents cutting down on the money contributed towards household expenses, just to ensure that the drinking money is always adequate. Many men have had a tendency to favor their beer over their children.
However, this type of behavior was possible when the state was pitching in with welfare to alleviate the plight of families who applied for social assistance. Unfortunately in 2020, the COVID19 pan-demic is quickly draining the state’s coffers, and post-election or even in 2021 such welfare might not be so easily available, since the country is not earning revenue as it used to.
Despite this increase and despite the clear warning from Central Bank of Seychelles’ Governor Car-oline Abel, the excessive drinking, especially that related to political exuberance over the weekends continue. It is hoped that once the dust settles on this week’s elections, people will buckle down and start a priority based spending.
There is also the danger that as the Seybrew products and imported alcohol get more expensive, there will be a return to the excessive consumption of lower grade alcohol products and local brews. This in turn brings with it increased illnesses and a debilitated alcoholics, who cannot work and are as such an additional burden on the economy.
Seybrew has done what it needs to do to remain operational and safeguards the jobs of all whom it employs. It will be up to the consumers to know their priority and consume in moderation.
