Foreign brands and beer sizzle, ‘desi’ takes a hit

LUCKNOW : Resumption of liquor sale after a six-week break in Uttar Pradesh bared the plight of the poor as Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and beer outnumbered the sale of ‘desi’ (as country liquor is known) by a decent margin.

However, excise department officials weren’t complaining. They claimed the distinction was temporary.

“The larger picture is that sales worth nearly ₹200 crore were reported on day one across the state. Of course, these sales don’t mean excise revenue which is lesser but in the end the badly needed revenue has started flowing in again,” an official said.

Country liquor contributes nearly 60 per cent revenue of the total revenue from liquor sale to the state’s kitty, with foreign liquor and beer contributing the rest. However, day one of the resumption of sale indicated a

› The larger picture is that sales worth nearly ₹200 crore were reported on day one across the state EXCISE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL

reverse trend.

While the business and service class rushed to stock their choicest brands, the poor, who prior to the lockdown mostly preferred the ‘powwa’ or the quarter, of country liquor priced at ₹75, largely stayed out of ‘desi’ vends. “It’s true that country liquor sales were unimpressive throughout the state though IMFL and beer recorded brisk sales,” said UP Sharab Vikreta Welfare Association secretary Kanhaiya Lal Maurya, who also runs a country liquor vend.

‘The labour class, our top consumer of country liquor, is missing from ‘desi’ outlets. Mostly

out of work, they hardly have any money to consume as most are more caught up with a desire to make two ends meet,” said Pragalbh Lavaniya, district excise officer in Bahraich, bordering Nepal. Bahraich has about 193 country liquor shops.

“Another likely reason is that unlike the rich who flouted social distancing protocols at various places, the poor were more conscious and mostly stayed indoors. Many villages have shut themselves up and that too may have affected the sales,” said Akhilesh Pratap Singh from Latifpur village adjoining the state capital.

“In pre-lockdown days ‘desi’ would outperform the IMFL and beer sale in Kanpur but today the 341 country liquor outlets that are among total 811 liquor vends in the district did average business,” said Arvind Maurya, district excise officer in Kanpur.

District excise officer of Lucknow Sudarshan Singh, senior excise inspector in Varanasi Vishnu Pratap Singh and excise inspector in Noida Pramod Sonkar also confirmed a similar trend.

“The labour have left Noida for their villages as the construction activity has come to a standstill due to lockdown. Once construction resumes, the country liquor sale would pick up,” said Sonkar.