HYDERABAD: Telangana is witnessing record beer sales this summer and wine shop owners couldn’t be happier. Citizens who were sticking to hot water kaadhas during the Covid-19 waves apparently feel that reaching out for a glass of chilled beer won’t do them any harm. As a result, beer sales have reached pre-pandemic levels.
Excise department sources say that the sale of beer cases in April and May, 2022 reached the 2019 level of 50 lakh cases per month.Around 50 lakh cases of beer were sold in April, 2022. In May, the beer sales may touch 60 lakh cases.
However, from April 1 to May 16, the State recorded a sale of 77.88 lakh beer cases. From April 1, 2021 to May 16, 2021, around 36.41 lakh beer cases were sold in Telangana. Between April 1, 2020 to May 16, 2020, 78 lakh cases of beer cases were sold. From April 1, 2019 to May 16, 2019, a total 81.80 lakh cases of beer were sold.
“At present there is a shortage for beer in the State due to non-availability of water. Unlike in the past, there is a quota on beer supplies from depots to wine shops,” representatives of Telangana Wine Shop Dealers Association said. The total liquor sales per month, including beer, is around Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 crore.