THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Total liquor sales are down, but beer and wine sales are up, and Malayalees start drinking at a startlingly younger age than before, according to the Alcohol Atlas of Kerala prepared by Alcohol and Drug Information Centre-India (ADIC-India) which was released here on Tuesday.Total liquor sales have plummeted in the state during 2014-15 compared to the previous fiscal, but consumption of beer and wine has risen significantly since January 1, after the bars converted into beer and wine parlours.
The sale of brandy, rum, gin, whiskey, vodka, beer and wine fell by 2.70 crore litres in 2014-15 compared to 2013-14, a reduction of 8.94 per cent, according to the report which was released here by KPCC president V M Sudheeran.IMFL - excluding beer and wine - sales fell by 8.65 per cent and that of beer by 9.89 per cent, but wine sales rose in 2014-15 by 21.3 per cent, ADIC-India director Johnson Edayaranmula said, presenting the report.On the other hand, beer and wine sales shot up since January 1 this year. Beer sales which stood at 49.72 lakh litres in December jumped to 81.01 lakh litres in January, 88.09 lakh litres in February and 94.60 lakh litres in March. Wine sales had stood at 64,859 litres in December. It shot up to 1.40 lakh litres in January and 1.60 lakh litres in February and dipped to 86,617 litres in March. The ADIC-India report also pointed out that the ‘age of initiation’ to alcohol in the state has alarmingly come down from 19 in 1986 to 13.5 in 2014.
The report also attributed 20 percent of hospitalisation, 59 per cent of crimes, 40 per cent of road accidents and 15 per cent of accidents in workplace to alcohol consumption. Kudumbhashree Mission executive director K B Valsalakumari and IMA state president Sreejith N Kumar received the first copies. Thampanoor imam Hamza Maulavi Farooqi, Gururetnam Jnana Tapaswi of the
Santhigiri Asram and Youth Commission chairman R V Rajesh were present.Study Impact of Beer-Wine Parlours in Society The impact of wine and beer parlours on Kerala society should be studied, KPCC chief V M Sudheeran said on Tuesday, after releasing the Alcohol Atlas of Kerala.
Supplyco Sales Up by 11 pc
Kochi: The Supplyco has recorded a sales turnover of Rs 3,792 crore during 2014-15 financial year, an increase of 11 per cent compared to last year’s. In 2013-14, the turnover of Supplyco was Rs 3,415 crore. It targets Rs 4,400 cr turnover in 2015-16 financial year. Turnover from Maveli outlets has increased from Rs 897 cr in 2013-14 to Rs 929 cr in 2014-15. Sale of Shabari products was Rs 152 cr in 2014-15 (Rs 126 cr in 2013-14) and turnover from Supplyco atta rose to Rs 97 cr during last financial year from Rs 76 cr in 2013-14. Turnover of Supplyco Medical stores has increased to Rs 64 cr in 2014-15 from Rs 59 cr a year ago.