The issue of homemade alcohol

SABCnews.com | Indian country liquor kills farmer, then mourners

"March 20, 2006, 13:45

Ten villagers attending the cremation of a man poisoned by home-made alcohol in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh have died after toasting him with smuggled brew. Officials say 16 others are in a critical condition at a local hospital.

The villagers from the northeast of the state capital Hyderabad reportedly consumed alcohol believed to have been illegally brought in from the neighbouring state of Orissa. The alcohol sells for as little as 18 cents a bottle, one-third of the price of commercially produced liquor.

The drink is made from industrial spirit, to which boot-leggers add a cocktail of ingredients which could include vegetables, battery acid and pieces of old rubber tyres. The deadly mix is then boiled and distilled. It kills hundreds of poor Indians every year. - Reuters"

This is a problem that we encounter in Africa too, when the production of homemade alcohols are sometimes... creative at best, but often dangerous, due to some unorthodox ingredients.