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No water, they drank beer
Delay in monsoons was a boon for the central excise department with a stagerring rise in the sale of beer
Renjini Liza Varghese
Posted On Tuesday, August 04, 2009 at 12:30:01 AM
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While farmers and the entire country pleaded with the rain gods for monsoon showers, for the excise department it was a different story all together with the sales of beer sky rocketing during this period. In June, the sale of beer saw an 30 per cent increase, whereas in April and May the sales recorded a mere increase of 2 and 3 per cent respectively. When the slowdown hit the country in second half of last year, it reflected in the sales of liquor as well. The dip in sales of alcohol hit beer the worst followed by foreign liquor and wine. The last quarter saw the worst decline for the country liquior segment followed by foreign liquor and wine. Foreign liquor which went off corporate lunch and dinner menus is back now. However, in the first three months of the current financial year viz. April, May and June, the excise department’s revenue collection saw a substantial increase. Collections stand at Rs 193 crore against Rs 154 crore last year. Recording a growth of 25 per cent. “This year the revenue target for Pune division is set at Rs 821crore which is 28 per cent higher than last year. We are optimistic of achieving this as the collection of the first three months is better than last years’,” said state excise superintendent, V P Chinchalkar. “Because of the code of conduct of elections, a large number of dry days, a restriction on sale timings and vigilance on the movement of alcohol in April and May, sales were affected. The scene in June was better and we saw a substantial increase in the sales of beer. This is because of the delay in the monsoons and the stability in the job sector,” he added. The excise department is hopeful that the situation will improve in terms of sale numbers. In 2008 the growth rate was close to 20 per cent which stands as 10 per cent in July ‘09. The period between October and March is considered the best season for sale of liquor. The excise department expects the growth momentum to reach 15 per cent during this period. |
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05:16:18 PM