At a time when a huge fiscal deficit is staring at the State, making the situation worse, Andhra Pradesh is facing shortage of liquor, considered a major source of revenue for the government.
The piquant situation is now forcing the government to import Indian Manufactured Liquor (IML) and beer from Telangana State, where concentration of distilleries is high. It is learnt that there is a shortage of 7 lakh cases (each case contains 9 litre) of IML and 4 lakh cases of beer in the State and the government has imported about 4 lakh cases of IML and 2 lakh cases of beer during July.
Unlike the drop in liquor sales during monsoon, prevailing dry weather conditions this year have pushed the beer sales up with the consumption being put at 17.72 lakh cases of beer and 30.52 lakh cases of IML during July, when compared to the 12 lakh cases during the corresponding period last fiscal.
Beer sales have registered a growth of 47 per cent while it is just 4 per cent for the IML and the Prohibition and Excise Department have witnessed a phenomenal growth during the last five years. While the growth rate was just 6 per cent give years ago, it touched 29 per cent last fiscal. This year, it has swelled up to 47 per cent.
Revenue The State government has generated a revenue of Rs. 1226.73 crore from the sales of beer and IML this year so far against the Rs. 1069 crore last year. Andhra Pradesh has around 4,000 liquor outlets, which is much higher than the 3,000 that has gone to Telangana post-bifurcation. About 35 lakh to 40 lakh cases of liquor is being sold through these outlets in the State.
Previously, the Andhra Pradesh Beverages Corporation Limited (APBCL) had 39 depots through which liquor was supplied to wine shops across the State. After the division, the Excise and Prohibition Department allotted 22 liquor depots to Andhra Pradesh and the remaining 17 went to Telangana.
