As soon as the liquor sectors got permission to operate, there had been many cases of illegal business doing the rounds. The Andhra Pradesh government has reviewed the liquor rates in the state, reducing the rates of low-price liquor, following a major increment in liquor smuggling into the state from adjoining states like Karnataka and Telangana. Since the latest hike in liquor prices in May, the Special Enforcement Bureau has reportedly found that the number of liquor importation cases booked on a monthly average went up by 321%, with 10,977 cases booked between May 16 and July 31.

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In order to prevent smuggling, as well as incidents of sanitizer consumption as an alternative to alcohol leading to several deaths, the Revenue (Excise) Department has revised liquor prices per bottle on Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), Foreign Liquor (FL), beer, wine and Ready to Drink (RTD) varieties supplied by wholesale IMFL depots to retail licensees of shops, bars, etc. The price changes were brought into effect from Thursday, by reducing the prices of low-price categories while raising the rates for “premium and super-premium categories”, keeping an overall increase of MRPs (Maximum Retail Price) at 75%. 

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The government has taken various steps in line with its policy to reduce liquor consumption, including the removal of belt shops and reduction in the number of liquor retail shops, followed by a surge in liquor rates. According to the Special Enforcement Bureau’s (SEB) report on the impact of increased liquor prices, the monthly average of number of persons arrested for liquor smuggling has gone up by 46% since May 15, and the quantity of liquor being smuggled into the state went up by 20%. 

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