If there is a once-in-five-years sales bonanza for liquor stores, it is clearly during the election season.
The off-take figures of IMFL (Indian Made Foreign Liquor) and beer, in cases, maintained by the District Prohibition & Excise Department (DP&ED) suggest too much drinking in January.
Thanks to the gram panchayat elections, the three-phase polls on January 21, 25 and 30 kept the wine shops busy.
One too many
While the reference figure for 100% achievement by the DP&ED every month is the corresponding last year’s figure, January 2019 witnessed an unprecedented jump of 157%.
That is, while the liquor consumption was 1,10,371 cases of IMFL and 1,97,038 beer cases in January 2018, figures as on January 31, 2019 are: 1,73,516 cases of IMFL (up 63,145 cases) and 2,97,288 cases of beer (up 1,00,250 cases). “This is something very unusual and high. Usually the average growth target is set at 30% and the consumption achievement would be less than 20%. But 157% is unbelievable,” an official said.
A contrast
The off-take figures in November and December 2018 – during the State Assembly elections — suggest a contrast.
Consumption of IMFL was 1,02,927 cases (an increase of 32,680 cases) and beer 1,43,544 cases (and fall of 29,987 cases) than in previous November, and for 11 days in December (till the date of polling) consumption was minus 82.38%.
And for January 2019, it appears there has been full excise and no prohibition.
Reasons for binge
According to the DP&ED Superintendent Shankaraiah, the boost in sales can be attributed to three factors: “The festival of Sankranthi, the phased Gram Panchayat elections and the model code of conduct not being enforced in municipality areas.”
Devarakonda limits registered the highest consumption of 91% more IMFL and 85% more beer, i.e., 191% and 185% respectively on the whole. Miryalaguda is at the bottom, at 130%.