Keralites surely are in good spirits this Christmas, going by the record sales of liquor in the southern state.
The Kerala State Beverages Corporation (KSBC), the lone wholesalers of beer and Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL), is all set to clock record sales for Christmas.
N.Sanker Reddy, KSBC managing director, said the sales of IMFL and beer for the month of December would be an all-time high.
“Last December, we did a total sales of Rs.415 crore (Rs.4.15 billion) and this time it is expected to cross Rs.450 crore. Our 337 retail shops across the state are fully stocked with supplies,” said Mr. Reddy.
The total sales value for the period from April to November this year shot up from Rs.3,000 crore during the same period last year to Rs.3,533.54 crore. “Over all, we expect to close this fiscal (2009-10) with a total turnover of above Rs.5,300 crore, up from Rs.4,631 crore in the last fiscal,” added Mr. Reddy.
In terms of quantity sold, 122.43 lakh cases of liquor was sold during the period from April to Nov this year, up from 114.57 lakh cases. Likewise quantity of beer sold also shot up from 43.18 lakh cases to 48.41 lakh cases.
The contribution to the state exchequer by way of taxes also shot up from Rs.2,290 crore to Rs.2,661 crore from April to November this year.
