Industry organisation Agri SA has noted its concern about the impact of the current alcohol ban on the entire alcohol value chain.
It says South African Breweries (SAB) is the only beer producer that procures almost all of its input ingredients locally, and the impact of the ban on the sale of alcohol on SAB spills over to the farm gate, with the farmers who supply the brewer also under pressure.
The same is happening in the wine industry and across the entire alcohol value chain.
Agri SA executive director Omri van Zyl says the cancellation of about R15-billion in investments by the alcohol industry poses a threat to the sustainability of the industry and the economy as a whole.
Agri SA notes that farmers will be harvesting barley towards the end of the year, raising uncertainty among farmers about the coming season.
Agri SA urges the government to reconsider the ban, to allow the agricultural sector to contribute towards economic growth.