Karnataka - Madikeri   

State earns Rs. 7.33 crore from liquor sale in Kodagu district

Madikeri: As many as 5,80,097 cartons of Indian-made liquor (IML) were sold in Kodagu district as of January-end in the current fiscal year (2009-10), resulting in a collection of Rs. 7.33 crore to the State exchequer. The target fixed for sale of IML in Kodagu in the current year was 7,54,330 cartons.

The sales target fixed for Kodagu in 2008-09 was 7,18,404 cartons (each carton contains 12 full bottles) while 7,06,419 were sold. It had realised Rs. 5.43 crore, according to a source in the Excise Department here. The department hopes to meet the target this year.

A total of 3,05,920 cartons were sold in Virajpet taluk in 2008-09, 2,26,792 in Somwarpet taluk and 1,73,707 cartons in Madikeri. There are two godowns of the Karnataka State Breweries Corporation Ltd. in Kodagu, one each at Kushalnagar and Virajpet. Those in Virajpet and Madikeri taluks draw stocks from the Virajpet godown, while those in Somwarpet and Periyapatna taluk in Mysore district draw stocks from the Kushalnagar godown. Some 5,375 cartons more have been sold this fiscal by January-end compared with last year. However, sale of beer dropped a little this year. As against sale of 1,71,702 cartons in 2008-09 at the end of January, 1,48,607 cartons were sold this year till January, a drop of 23,095 boxes.

There was not been much demand for liquor from the tourists coming into the district, but from the coffee plantation workers, says Viju, a vendor. Some plantation owners are forced to give liquor apart from the wages to the workers though it is of a cheaper brand.

If an average liquor shop sold liquors to the tune of around Rs. 50,000 in the city, an outlet at the border area such as Karike would sell up to Rs. 90,000. Restrictions on sale in Kerala make consumers throng the bordering Karike, he said.

The Excise Department hopes to surpass the target in the February-March period because of the marriage season. Liquor is part of the custom in Kodagu and marriages would invariably involve good amount of consumption. Climatic conditions in Kodagu also encouraged liquor consumption.

Consumption of IML increased a great deal since the ban on sale of arrack in the State. However, there are complaints that manufacture of illicit liquor is on the rise in Kodagu since the ban. The Excise Department denies this.

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