With liquor shops closed in Tamil Nadu, state will now export local beer

The Supreme Court had ordered a national ban on March 31 on the sale of liquor within 500m of state and national highways

By: News Desk |
July 20, 2017 3:30 pm

Just a few months back, around 3000 bars near the highways in Tamil Nadu had to be shut following a Supreme Court directive. But it seems that the state is not able to cope up with the losses. Owing to the loss of revenue generated by the state, the government has decided to export beer which is made at state breweries.

A bill to the effect was introduced in the state assembly on Wednesday and was even was passed on the same day.

However, it is not that the beer market has suffered some major hit after the apex court ruling. There are nearly 18 major and minor distilleries in the state. As per the data, 24 lakh cases of beer were sold from Tasmac outlets in April 2017 then saw a drop to 20 lakh cases in May. It bounced back in June with 24 lakh cases. But with this new move, the government seems to be planning to let go of any possible losses in hard liquor sales or to be creating an additional source of revenue.

As per the Supreme Court directive on March 31, the sale of liquor had been closed within 500m of state and national highways. As per the national ban, the sale had been blocked liquor shops were barred from operations from April 1, 2017.

But can these local brands match up to their global counterparts? Will these brands like Commando Super Strong (Apollo Distilleries), Zingaro Magnum Strong (Empee Distilleries) hold their foot against internationally acclaimed brands? The doubts are obviously there but it seems that the government is willing to take the risk and give a fight to the big players in the market.

Brand owners also feel that it is worth a shot. Confident of being able to find a place for themselves abroad, an owner said: “It is like tea. One may like it thick and with more sugar, others may like it light and without sugar. We can change the taste of beer -make it light or bitter -according to the preferences of people in other countries.”

Source: Times of India

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