VISAKHAPATNAM: Liquor sales across the Visakhapatnam Division stood at Rs 9.91 crore on December 31, 2025, with digital payments marginally exceeding cash transactions.
Official data showed that liquor worth Rs 5.05 crore was sold through digital transactions, accounting for 51 percent, while cash sales amounted to Rs 4.85 crore, or 49 percent, of the total sales value.
The figures, compiled from six Prohibition and Excise (P&E) stations in the division, revealed a near-even split between digital and cash payments, though variations were observed across stations.
Gajuwaka recorded the highest sales during the day, with liquor worth Rs 21.75 crore sold. Of this, digital transactions accounted for Rs 10.59 crore, while cash sales stood slightly higher at Rs 11.16 crore, indicating a marginal preference for cash at the station.
Pendurthy followed closely with total sales of Rs 22.57 crore, where digital payments were more prominent. The station recorded Rs 12.47 crore through digital transactions compared to Rs 10.10 crore in cash.
Seethammadhara also showed a clear tilt towards cashless payments, with 58.4 percent of its total sales of Rs 16.19 crore conducted digitally. Digital transactions at the station amounted to Rs 9.46 crore, while cash sales stood at Rs 6.73 crore.
In contrast, Gopalapatnam continued to rely more on cash-based transactions. Of the total sales of Rs 11.90 crore recorded at the station, cash payments accounted for 55 percent or Rs 6.54 crore, while digital transactions contributed the remaining 45 percent.
Maharani Peta and Bheemunipatnam displayed relatively balanced payment patterns. Maharani Peta recorded sales of Rs 12.09 crore, with digital payments accounting for 48.3 percent and cash for 51.7 percent. Bheemunipatnam registered sales worth Rs 14.53 crore, with 46.8 percent through digital mode and 53.2 percent through cash.
Meanwhile, Visakhapatnam recorded cumulative liquor sales worth Rs 1,940.37 crore up to December 30, reflecting a negative growth of 1.74 percent compared to the previous year. In 2025, the district sold 23.32 lakh cases of liquor and 17.23 lakh cases of beer, compared to 20.91 lakh liquor cases and 11.90 lakh beer cases in 2024.
Liquor sales grew by 11 percent in volume and beer sales by 44.8 percent, but the overall value declined.
Prohibition and Excise Superintendent R Prasad said the department oversees private liquor shops, bars, clubs, star hotels, premium stores, APTDC bars, microbreweries and defence canteens, while also monitoring illegal liquor and drug activities.
The district has 159 liquor shops, 75 bars, 16 star hotels, five APTDC bars, seven clubs, two microbreweries, two premium stores and 19 defence canteens. Through licensing, Rs 204 crore was collected in 2025, marking a 20 percent increase from Rs 169 crore in 2024.
Additional revenue included Rs 30.18 lakh from Lok Adalat settlements and Rs 8.77 crore from permit rooms. Enforcement actions during the year led to a significant decline in unauthorised liquor sales, which fell by 63% compared to 2024, the Superintendent added.