Thiruvananthapuram: Foreign Made Foreign Liquor (FMFL) sale through Kerala State Beverages Corporation's (KSBC) BEVCO retail liquor outlets in the state began on Monday.
According to sources, two brands of FMFL are the front runners to hit BEVCO shops in Kozhikode on Monday. Glenfiddich (700 ml) and Grant's (750 ml) are the two brands, priced at Rs 4,930 and Rs 1,520 respectively, that hit BEVCO shelves first. About 25 more brands are also likely to hit BEVCO shops in the coming days.
KSBC sources said that since the stocks were being transported by road by distributors located in other states it reached northern parts of the state first. It was initially made available at the BEVCO outlet at Pavamani road in Kozhikode. On Tuesday FMFL was supplied in Kannur also.
The Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) industry is quite agitated over the arrival of the FMFL as the state government offered certian relaxations in the costs, as a result of which some FMFL brands are even priced below some premium IMFL brands. They had also submitted representations to the government.
The decision to sell FMFL and Foreign Made Wine through BEVCO counters was announced by the state government in the recent annual budget. Apart from bringing additional revenue to the state exchequer, it could also curb illegal sale of FMFL.
