Andhra Pradesh BCL directive to increase financial burden

VIJAYAWADA: Bar owners are discontented over the oral instructions by the State Beverages Corporation Limited (APSBCL), which has reportedly asked the former to purchase 40 cartons of premium liquor bottles to get 10 cartons of cheap brands. Their argument is that the demand for premium liquor is comparatively low.

“Most customers opt for cheap liquor as they cannot afford medium/premium brand alcohol.  If we consider the APSBCL’s instructions, then we have to invest more on premium brands despite there being little demand for them. On an average, a bar sells 10 cartons of cheap liquor bottles a day. Price of a carton of a premium brand is more than `12,000 and we would have to invest around `5 lakh a day to get 10 cartons of cheap liquor. As the sale of premium brands is limited, we would have to stock the unsold ones,’’ said the owner of a bar in Vijayawada. Stating that the government had already increased the prices of liquor being sold to the bars, he said the fresh instructions will result in more financial burden on them.

However, APSBCL MD D Vasudeva Reddy told TNIE no order  forcing the bar owners to purchase more premium liquor was passed. “They have been asked to increase the purchase of premium  liquor to some extent, and reduce the buying quantity of cheap liquor.”