There is a huge scarcity of Carlsberg Green and Special in the Central Region, forcing some bottlestore owners to be buying the product from the black market.

A snap survey conducted in Lilongwe and the surrounding districts for the past two weeks shows that bottle store owners are finding it hard to have stocks of the beers.

“We have been querying Carlsberg Malawi authorities in Lilongwe for the past two weeks, but they are not giving us convincing answers. Most of our customers who take Carlsberg Green are complaining because the price for the alternative is higher. This has affected our sales,” complained Vitalis Mulela, a bottle store owner in Lilongwe’s Chilinde Township.

Another bottle store owner in Mponela, Palani Chinkombero, said he used to make K50 000 ($200) a day because of the huge sales of Green and Special, but since the drinks became scarce, he is making about K10 000 ($40).

Carlsberg Malawi corporate communications officer Towera Pilling confirmed having received a query from one customer, but could not take more questions.