THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Anticipating yet another splendid Onam season, the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (Bevco) has amply stocked its warehouses in advance.
Every year, the corporation registers massive sales during the 10-day festival season, recording peak collection on Uthradam day. This year, it expects at least a 6% rise in turnover from last year’s Rs 819 crore.
Bevco CMD Harshita Attaluri said their warehouses started stocking beverages a month ago for Onam.
“Normally, our outlets place purchase intent equivalent to previous three months’ average. For Onam, an additional 20% increase was made. Sufficient quantities of all items – Indian Made Foreign Liquor, beer, wine and Foreign Made Foreign Liquor – are in stock. Outlets too have been directed to ensure extra quantities of liquor, especially brands that are in high demand,” she told TNIE.
Bevco-managed Travancore Sugars and Chemical Ltd has scaled up daily production of Jawan rum, one of the top-selling IMFL brands in Kerala, from 10,000 cases a day to 12,000. One case is nine litres for any beverage and bottle size.
The corporation will hire around 60 people as temporary staff via the employment exchange for crowd control at busy outlets. Harshita said all possible legal steps will be taken against those misbehaving with their staffers.
“All our employees have been directed to behave with customers cordially. Recently, there were incidents in which customers attacked our employees. Bevco takes such incidents seriously, and the management is closely following legal proceedings. Staffers have been directed to seek police support whenever they face a safety threat,” she said.
Harshita said 45% of Bevco employees are women, and they are trained to deal with physical attacks and harassment. “The Kerala Police trained them last year-end,” she said.