Hyderabad: Telangana witnessed a massive surge in liquor sales during the New Year celebrations, with shopkeepers stocking up to meet the soaring demand.
Official data reveals that liquor worth approximately Rs 1700 crores was sold in the last week leading up to the New Year, with Rs 684 crore of sales alone on December 30 and 31.
Liquor sales through the roof
To cater to the demand, shopkeepers stocked up significantly. Between December 22 and 31, excluding two Sundays, Christmas, and three public holidays, liquor depots saw record supply for the remaining seven days.
A closer look at the week’s sales reveals significant numbers. From Rs 193 crore sales on December 23, the daily number shot up to Rs 402 crore on December 30. Nearly Rs 1700 crores worth of liquor was sold within the week.
- Dec 23: Rs 193 crores
- Dec 24: Rs 197 crores
- Dec 26: Rs 192 crores
- Dec 27: Rs 187 crores
- Dec 28: Rs 191 crores
- Dec 29: Rs 51 crores
- Dec 30: Rs 402 crores
- Dec 31: Rs 282 crores
Excise officials noted that during the same period last year, liquor sales amounted to Rs 1510 crores. Overall, for the month of December 2024, liquor worth Rs 3,523 crore was consumed, 15% less compared to Rs 4,147 crore sales in December 2023. Around 35.47 lakh cases of Indian Made Liquor (IML) and 42.52 lakh cases of beer were sold in December 2024.
Revenue Growth from Liquor
Telangana's liquor sales have seen a gradual increase since 2014, the year the state was formed. The total revenue from liquor sales in 2023-24 fiscal year was Rs 36,493 crore, a massive jump from the Rs 10,000 crore recorded in 2014-15. In 2024-25 fiscal, the southern state had collected nearly Rs 20,000 crore from liquor sales till September end.
