The Association of Raw Gin Producers of Nigeria (ARGPON) has launched a comprehensive initiative to sanitize the production of local alcoholic drinks, particularly raw gin, also known as ogogoro.
According to a statement by ARGPON, the move aims to reorient distillers and dealers towards embracing best global practices and eliminating harmful acts that affect the health of consumers.
ARGPON’s efforts are in line with the Federal Government’s proposed national policy on alcoholic sales and distribution. The association seeks to prepare, educate, and support local raw gin distillers to conform to the incoming policy, which ARGPON was part of during its formulation in Abuja.
The National Chairman of ARGPON, Adebisi Adekanye, noted that the effective internal regulation of all local producers of raw gin has been long overdue. “The good intentions of the government in legalizing local gin are being defeated,” he said.
To address this challenge, ARGPON is collaborating with the Federal Industrial Institute of Research to develop modern distilling cones that will increase production output by over 1,000%. The association will also conduct a mass registration exercise for rural raw gin producers and dealers, issuing permits after a thorough review of their production systems and products.
The exercise, which is expected to commence in the first week of February, will enable ARGPON to capture every rural raw gin producer/dealer through their various units in different regions of the country. Identified centers will be commissioned for easy access and registration by producers and dealers.
Operators have been advised to visit the ARGPON website or its national secretariat in Lagos for more information on the registration exercise.
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