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Mizoram: Grape Farmers Threaten Agitation as Excise Dept Seizes Locally Made Wine

PTI |
Stores in Aizawl were raided on Friday and huge quantities of locally manufactured grape wines, known as 'Champwine', were seized along with liquor and beer.
Mizoram: Grape Farmers Threaten Agitation as Excise Dept Seizes Locally Made Wine

Aizawl: Grape farmers of Mizoram are up in the arms against the Mizo National Front government after the excise department seized locally made wines in Aizawl.

The grape growers demanded the immediate return of the seized wine bottles, threatening that it would launch an agitation against the government's action.

Excise minister K Beichhua said the government did not target the locally processed grape wine but had to make the seizure as per the law as the wine bottles were found along with foreign liquor and beer bottles during a recent raid.

Some stores in Aizawl were raided on Friday and huge quantities of locally manufactured grape wines, known as 'Champwine', were seized along with liquor and beer.

Acting on a tip-off that Korean Soju and other foreign liquors were being sold in those stores, the raids were conducted, the minister said.

"We have acted as per the Mizoram Liquor Prohibition Act, 2019 which prohibits sale, consumption and manufacture of alcohol. We have no choice but to seize the locally made grape wine as it has alcohol content, and the wine bottles were also found among branded liquor," he told PTI.

Beichhua, however, said that the government would take steps to ensure that the grape growers face no difficulties in earning their livelihood from the plantations.

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA BD Chakma said that he could not understand the state government's policy on liquor prohibition as the wine that was seized was served to a visiting Union minister during a felicitation programme.

Fulfilling its pre-poll promise, the MNF government passed 'The Mizoram Liquor (Prohibition) Bill, 2019' in March 2019, which replaced a four-year-old law enacted by the previous Congress government that had withdrawn the prohibition.

The new law prohibits import, export, transport, manufacture, possession, sale and consumption of alcohol in the state, barring three autonomous district council areas in southern Mizoram.

Although the new prohibition rules were notified, they were cancelled in December 2019.

Beichhuah said the rules of the new liquor law, drafted based on the assessment of a committee that involved officials, NGOs and churches, have been approved by the cabinet and would be notified soon.

Grapes are grown and grape wines are processed in Champhai district in the eastern part of the state.

Champhai Grape Growers' Society (CGGS), and Hnahlan Grape Growers and Processing Cooperative Society passed resolutions on Saturday, demanding the state government return the seized wine bottles.

Among others, the societies also demanded that the state government should allow them to sell the wine freely.

CGGS general secretary C Zohmingliana said that since 2004-2005 several families in Champhai and Hnahlan are growing Bangalore Blue varieties of grapes with the assistance of the National Horticulture Board and the state government.

Bangalore Blue can't be consumed as fruits but is good for making red port and sacramental wines, he said.

Despite the Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition Act, 1995, which came into force in February 1997 imposing a complete ban on alcohol, the then MNF government had given licenses to the societies to set up wineries in Champhai and Hnahlan in 2007 under special provision, he added.

Zohmingliana said wine processing began in 2010 and those were initially sold in the local market and to a Guwahati-based manufacturing unit till 2019 when the Zoramthanga government introduced the new law imposing total prohibition.

To be frank, the locally processed wines were sold in an understanding with the government till date, he claimed.

If wineries are closed, it would have a huge impact on hundreds of families, who completely depend on grape plantations for livelihood, he said.

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