Excise Minister said that the issue is under the active consideration of the government
First Published Nov 13, 2022, 10:33 AM IST
Kochi: Minister Mbirajesh said that the lack of availability of popular liquors has come to the attention of the government.
The problem is under the consideration of the government. The minister said that it will be resolved soon. There is a situation of not getting cheap alcohol in the state. Alcohol worth up to 750 rupees is not available. Cheap liquor is not available at Bevco outlets. There is no cheap alcohol in the bars either. Due to this, the liquor stores are facing a huge crisis for the past few days. Bevco’s major revenue stream comes from selling alcohol at low prices. Bevco is also in trouble as companies reduce the supply of mid-range liquor brands. The companies have demanded to increase the price of liquor due to the increase in the price of spirit. As there was no action on this, the companies reduced the supply of alcohol.
20 lakh cases of Indian-made foreign liquor are sold in the state per month. The average daily consumption is 70000 cases. The reason for the current crisis is that the price of spirit required for making alcohol has risen to Rs. 74 per liter. It was Rs. 64 three months ago. The government is not ready to accept the demand to increase the price of alcohol in proportion to the production cost. The government is trying to solve the problem by adjusting the sales tax. Through this, the alcohol companies will get a 12 percent increase in income. The market price of alcohol will not rise. But this decision has not yet been implemented. Many leading brands of liquor are produced in distilleries in Kerala. The current crisis has been exacerbated by production restrictions due to the rise in spirit prices. Excise Minister explained that action will be taken soon to solve the problem.
Last Updated Nov 13, 2022, 12:14 PM IST
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