‘Bengal’s liquor revenue up by about 30% in 2022-23 fiscal’

MP | 29 Apr 2023 | Kolkata: The state government has earned a record revenue of Rs 16,272 crore through liquor sales in 2022-23 which is nearly 30 per cent higher than the previous financial year. The liquor sales in the recently concluded fiscal have been all-time high, as per estimates of the state Excise department. 

The sale of beer has doubled in comparison to the 2021-22 fiscal and the ongoing fiscal has also begun extremely well with record sales of beer to the tune of Rs 400 crore in April. The foreign brand liquor sale as well as the country liquor sale has gone up by 10 per cent in 2022-23 in comparison to 2021-22. 

Considering the huge demand for beer, the state Excise department is augmenting the infrastructure for beer production in state. The target is to sell 30 lakh cases of beer every month. Two new plants are being set up in the state. “The process of setting up a new plant will take some time. So, presently round-the-clock work is going on in the existing plants so that production can be increased,” an official in the Excise department said. About 25 lakh beer cases have been sold already this month which has raised expectations that the revenue from liquor will be higher in this ongoing fiscal. Inspite of the Covid effect, the revenue earned by the state in the financial year 2021-22 was Rs 12,000 crore. There was however an increase in the price of liquor in the end of the last financial year. Between April and May last year, around 18 lakh beer cases were sold on average which has gone up to 25 lakh this month. In some districts, there was even a crisis of beer, particularly during the period when the temperature had crossed above 40 degree Celsius-mark. https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/bengals-liquor-revenue-up-by-about-30-in-2022-23-fiscal-516866