Sale of Indian-made foreign liquor declined 29 percent during the first half of the current financial year, as per data released by the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC). In a statement, CIABC said that the fall in demand was severe in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Puducherry, and Rajasthan, which still continue to impose corona tax as high as 50 percent. In these states, sales dropped by almost 50 percent.

The industry body goes on saying that “All India sales volume growth for IMFL segment for the first half of the year 2019-20 was 29 percent. Leaving out April when the entire liquor trade was closed down under lockdown, the sales growth for the period May to September in 2020 was ‘-16 percent’ over the same period last year.”

It also noted that though the pan-India liquor sale has improved in the second quarter, it was the first quarter (April-June) which did the maximum damage. In the second quarter (July-Sept), sales enhanced over the first quarter, rising up to 78 million cases or 9 liters each, of IMFL which was 9 percent below the corresponding period last year. Overall, sales recovery in states that imposed no tax or came up with marginal tax increases in light of the Covid pandemic was better.

The major states which reported a maximum drop in sales in the Second quarter were Andhra Pradesh (down 51%), Chhattisgarh (40%), West Bengal (down 22%) and Rajasthan (20%). The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a decline of 39 % during July-Sept quarter.

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