Ndola liquor traders want strict licensing

THE Ndola Liquor Traders Association (NLTA) has urged small-scale retailers to acquire trading licences so that their businesses are recognised as legal entities.
NLTA chairperson Paul Ngosa said the association had noted with concern the increase in the number of people trading in liquor, on a small-scale basis, without licences.
Speaking in an interview in Ndola yesterday, Mr Ngosa said the association had since opened dialogue with Zambia Breweries and other stakeholders in the liquor industry to clump down on the illegal trade of alcohol.
“The association is concerned that a number of traders in the liquor industry are operating without licences, so we are already in discussion with stakeholders, manufacturers and retailers as well as the regulators to see how we can bring back sanity into the beer industry,” Mr Ngosa said.
He said NLTA is also in discussion with the local authority to ensure that traders wanting to acquire liquor trading licences meet the credentials to conduct such a business.
“This will also ensure transparency in the issuance procedure of these trading licences,” he said.
Mr Ngosa said the association would work with regulators on beer pricing so that consumers were not exploited.
On counterfeit alcohol products, Mr Ngosa urged traders to comply with the regulations of the law to ensure that only quality products were supplied to satisfy alcohol consumers.