Manipur: How lifting prohibition can impact indigenous alcohol industry

Prohibition in Manipur, which began in the 1990s is an outcome of sustained protest and objections from civil societies. Their objections were primarily toward alcoholism and domestic violence. Concurrently, alcohol and its consumption were seen as a menace to society. Alcohol and its cultural aspects also have a place in communities’ way of life from the past to the present. It nurtures the way of life as much as how it also gives rise to social evils like alcoholism. Considering the cultural aspect and how certain communities are tied to it, the state took cognisance of them.

The acknowledgement as such is reflected in the Manipur Liquor Prohibition Act, which was implemented in 1991, wherein the act states that it will allow the brewing of alcohol in scheduled caste and scheduled tribe communities for cultural and ritual aspects.

The current protest in response to the move by the Manipur state government to partially remove the prohibition in mid-September 2022, opens unanswered questions and situations created out of prohibitions and the significance of alcohol to certain communities. The public debate and discourse on alcohol often undermine the interests and concerns of indigenous communities who brew alcohol for cultural purposes, ritual practices and consumption. They have always been brewing alcohol using indigenous methods. The commercialisation factor in their alcohol brewery is a recent phenomenon. There are underlying factors when it comes to commercialising their alcohol products.