Grocery Stall Threatened With Tikar If It Is Prohibited From Selling Retail Cigarettes

General Secretary of the Indonesian Grocery Entrepreneurs Association (Perpeksi), Wahid (photo: Mery Handayani/VOI)

JAKARTA - grocery stalls are said to be out of business or bankrupt if they are prohibited from selling retail cigarettes. This is because cigarettes are one of the main pillars of the sale of grocery stalls.

The General Secretary of the Indonesian Grocery Entrepreneurs Association (Perpeksi), Wahid also highlighted the ban on selling retail cigarettes imposed by the government. Including zoning with a distance of 200 meters from the point of education center or children's activities.

Wahid said the largest revenue for grocery stalls came from selling retail cigarettes. He said customers usually buy coffee to packaged drinks when buying cigarettes.

Not only will the income from selling cigarettes decrease, Wahid continued, but also the income will also drop drastically.

"Maybe 60 percent went out of business because it depended on it, the first sales of cigarettes were first displayed to attract customers," Wahid said in a Media Discussion, in Jakarta, Tuesday, August 13.

From cigarettes, buying coffee, the dietalase drinks were purchased. If there are no cigarettes, 60 percent of our association will die," he continued.

Currently, Wahid said there are 1,000 grocery stalls in Jakarta that are members of his association. Then, there are 500 grocery stalls in the Bali area.

Therefore, said Wahid, if the regulation on the prohibition of selling retail cigarettes and the zoning system is quickly implemented, it will have an impact on the death of the grocery store business.

"If it is limited like this, the position will go out of business. Of course, we will ask all members, that's an objection, everyone will refuse because sales are dominated by cigarettes," he said.

According to Wahid, if the government wants to suppress the angla of smokers for Indonesian children, then what should be done is to intensify education targeting students.

"If this is to pressure smokers to be under the age of 21, then they should be educated. There is a role for educators who play a role in how students should not smoke before the age of 21," he said.

"The ban, the prohibition on the person, not on the business actor, should not sell cigarettes. We know that for example, if you are under 20 years old, you can't," he continued.