TIRUPATI: Liquor sales during May in the state slid following a reduction in business hours for the outlets in the wake of partial lockdown imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19.
There was a 9.74 per cent fall in the overall sales of liquor in May when
compared to the sales in April. Though business hours for liquor shops and
bars and restaurants were the same (six hours a day), the latter suffered a
sharp decline in sales when compared to the state-run outlets, where the
business was the same as in pre-Covid days.
Officials attribute the fall in revenue to the shrinking business at bars and restaurants. They say boozers, in large numbers, are lining up at the state-run liquor shops during the curfew relaxation from 6 am to 12 noon. They are worried about the spread of Covid-19 in closed places and thus are keeping away from bar and restaurants.
“In the wake of partial lockdown, we expected a decline in sales because a majority of customers used to go to the bar and restaurants only in the evening. Only a few customers are coming during daytime. So, naturally there is a massive decline in business,” said a bar owner in Tirupati city.
As per the sales report, the sale of liquor both at state-run liquor shops and bars and restaurants was around Rs 1,686.32 crore in May, whereas in April it was Rs 1,868.35 crore. A total of 17,28,533 and 18,95,393 IML cases were sold out in May and April months, respectively, and the revenue generated from their sales was pegged at Rs 1582.24 crore and Rs 1,665.06 crore.
The sales of beer significantly fell last month compared to April, from 8,59,462 lakh cases in April to 4,13,681 cases in May. The revenue fell from Rs 203.24 crore to Rs 104.09 crore. The average sale of both IML and beer was around Rs 62.27 crore per day in the month of April and it declined to Rs 54.39 crore per day now.
