LUCKNOW: The liquor industry and demand for booze have remained insulated from the economic slowdown. And while country liquor has remained the clear cut favourite of UPites, the demand for brew surpassed everyone’s expectations last year.
Hard drinks (whisky, vodka, rum and gin) are the least preferred among the three segments of liquor. The year-on-year figures maintained by the excise department show demand for country liquor (popularly known as desi daru), beer and Indian-made foreign liquor was up by 25%, 24% and 61% in 2021-22 compared to 2020-21.
Officials said crackdown on illegal liquor units and clamping down smuggling of booze from Haryana resulted in increased sales. “Also during the summer season of 2020, shops remained shut for a prolonged period as strict lockdown had been imposed,” said excise commissioner Senthil C Pandian.
The pent up demand for beer was felt in the next year as the department recorded highest sales in 2021. Pandian added that prices of beer cans have been rationalised and brought down in the past two years to match with the prices of popular brands in the neighbouring states.
In terms of volume, the state having a population of about 23 crore consumed 53 crore 500ml beer cans.
Similarly 27crore 750ml bottles of hard drinks were sold between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022. Desi daaru regulars gulped down 65 crore litre of country liquor that is sold in 200ml pouches sold for Rs 50 to Rs 80. The YoY sales of the three categories increased by 61% (beer), 24% (IMFL) and 25% (country liquor) as a result.
The overall revenue of the excise department stood at Rs 36,321 crore last year. Out of that country liquor accounted for Rs 16,262 crore which translates to about 45%, while IMFL cornered Rs 10,361 crore (29%) and beer raked in Rs 3,499 crore (10%). The remaining amount was secured as license fees and through other sources.
Though the start was slow in this fiscal and entrepreneurs were pulling back from liquor business by choosing not to renew their licenses, only 898 retail shops out of the 29,523 operational last year are left to be taken up. The second round of e-auction of the leftover shops will conclude on May 4.
While the department is thinking of ways to jack up its revenues, health experts said the state government and excise department need to promote the habit of drinking responsibly. “Road rage, brawls and hooliganism after drinking need to be curbed. Drunken driving leads to fatalities. Recently a clash took place at a pub in Noida where a young man was beaten to death after an argument with the staff,” said retired CMO Ashok Mishra.
