HYDERABAD: Telangana recorded a rise in liquor sales during the festive month of September, with the Excise department reporting a revenue of Rs 3,048 crore, compared to Rs 2,838 crore during the same period last year, a 7% year-on-year increase.
As Dasara coincided with Gandhi Jayanti, the spike was sharp in the lead-up to October 2, which was a dry day.
Anticipating restrictions, consumers stocked up in advance, resulting in high sales between September 29 and October 1. During these three days, liquor worth Rs 697.23 crore was sold. Officials said that this period recorded a 60-80% increase in sales compared to the same festive stretch last year.
According to department data, Indian-made liquor sales in September stood at 29.92 lakh cases, up from 28.81 lakh cases in 2024. However, beer consumption saw a dip, with 36.46 lakh cases sold this year, compared to 39.71 lakh cases last year.