About 70% of the 380 stills in Cabo Verde (Cape Verde) operate illegally and without industrial licensing and 50 manufacturing units operate outside the period stipulated by law, according to the Inspector General for Economic Activities (IGAE).

Elisângelo Monteiro told the Inforpress news agency that the information comes from process for sealing stills conducted across the country from 1 to 28 August, covering 312 factories producing local brandy, which included 380 stills or distillation units, mainly on the islands of Santo Antão and Santiago.

“During the operation, we found that about 70% of these factories still operate illegally and without industrial licensing, 40 to 50 production units were operating outside the period stipulated by law and had 278,580 litres of liquid in fermentation,” Monteiro added noting that 30% are within the law and meet the requirements.

“In the analyses carried out, we found a high concentration of lead and methanol, but also some carcinogenic substances, which contributes to the poor quality of the product,” said the inspector, who acknowledged that sugarcane alone is not enough to guarantee the quality of the brandy and that a number of other procedures are required to ensure this quality.

Monteiro also said that IGAE will continue to meet with producers in the sector to inform them about the importance of compliance with the production and marketing law, respecting rules and good production practices that guarantee safety and quality. (macauhub)