Telangana Sold 5,200 Liquor and Beer Bottles Per Minute From April to July

HYDERABAD — Telangana recorded massive alcohol consumption between April and July this year, selling an estimated 5,200 bottles of beer and Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) every minute across the state, according to excise department sales data.

Over the four-month period, the state registered approximately 3.5 crore cases of beer and IMFL, generating a combined sales value of nearly Rs 14,668 crore. Of the 5,200 bottles sold every minute, roughly 3,600 were liquor bottles and 1,600 were beer bottles.

In terms of total volume, beer accounted for roughly 2.21 crore cases, while IMFL contributed approximately 1.29 crore cases. Factoring in varying pack sizes, the total four-month sales amounted to approximately 91.5 crore bottles, equivalent to nearly 28.4 crore litres of alcoholic beverages moving through the market. This volume translates to roughly 1,600 litres of alcohol consumed every minute, comprising around 980 litres of beer and 635 litres of IMFL.

Sales numbers also reflected clear seasonal patterns. Overall alcohol sales stood at about 5,100 bottles a minute in April, peaked at nearly 5,500 in May, and remained high at 5,400 in June, before dropping to around 4,850 a minute in July alongside the onset of the monsoon.

Beer experienced the most notable fluctuations. Consumption rose from around 1,600 bottles per minute in April to 1,800 in May, before declining to 1,700 in June and falling to 1,400 in July.

Alongside the retail figures, depot data showed around 35,000 cases of liquor and beer remain unsold in Telangana Beverages Corporation Ltd (TGBCL) depots each month. Under state regulations, liquor companies supply products to TGBCL, paying an initial 30% excise duty that is refunded once retailers purchase stock and pay the remaining 70% duty.

Stocks held beyond 90 days incur ground rents starting at 1.5%, rising to 6% after 180 days and 13.5% after 300 days. For stocks exceeding 300 days, companies must either reprocess the products or consent to draining them out, with the excise department levying the balance 70% duty on discarded, damaged, and short-supplied stocks.