HYDERABAD: You may have to shell out Rs 10 to 20 more to buy your favourite beer from Wednesday or Thursday with rise in prices. Retail wine shops will sell beer at new prices after they get new stock. The old stock which is available in shops has to be sold at old prices. It was published in these columns in April that the prices will increase by 10 to 15 per-cent.
According to the revised prices, beer which used to cost Rs 90 will be sold at Rs 100, and strong beers which were sold at Rs 110 will now be sold at Rs 120. Some of the premium brands which used to cost Rs 130 will be sold at Rs 150 from Wednesday. With hike in beer prices, State Prohibition and Excise department officials are expecting an additional revenue of Rs 25 crore per month. During summers, 40 to 45 lakh cases of beer are sold a month in the State.
Excise department officials said that since they had to revise the rates in their systems, beer was not sold at government depots to retailers on Tuesday. According to orders issued by Commissioner of State Prohibition and Excise department Somesh Kumar, instructions were issued to ensure that stock purchased on or before May 21, are sold at old prices.
Telangana Wine Shop Dealers Association president D Venkateshwar Rao said that since they could not buy the stock at government depots on Tuesday, they have to rely on their buffer stock. “By the time we get permission to buy new stock, go to the depots and get the stock and store it in our refrigerators, it will be Wednesday evening,’’ said Venkateshwar Rao.