Record sale of liquor in Mahbubnagar

- According to official statistics October recorded Rs 112 crore, November recorded Rs 98 crore, December recorded Rs 104 crore and the final day of December 31, 2017 recorded Rs 5 crore of revenue by the sales of wine
- According to officials there are about 164 wine shops across all the four districts of erstwhile Mahbubnagar
- The government handed over the shops to all those newly attained people from October 1 onwards and since then during the past three months, the shops across all the four districts of erstwhile Mahbubnagar had done brisk business and netted record sales of Rs 314 crore in just three months

Mahbubnagar: Wine shops in erstwhile Mahbubnagar district have recorded a brisk wine sales business of Rs 314 crore during the past three months ending December 31-, 2017.

According to official estimate on the night of December 31, 2017 the district has achieved the record sales of Rs 3.4 crore of business in Mahbubnagar district, while it was estimated that a total of Rs 5 crore of wine sales business had taken including in Wanaparthy, Gadwal, Nagarkurnool and Mahbubnagar district on the single day of December 31.

According to officials from the Excise Department, Mahbubnagar district has this time contributed a major chunk of revenue to the exchequer by the sales of liquor in the State. While last year it was recorded a sale of Rs 298 crore of sales corresponding three months of October, November and December 2016, this has increased to a whooping of Rs 16 crore excess amounting to Rs 314 crore corresponding same months during the year 2017. “Like never before, Mahbubnagar district has stood first in wine sales this year in the State. Though the government had hiked the prices of wine and the officials forecasted a slowdown in the sales, all our estimates were wrong and it surpassed the last year’s record. The main reason attributed to this is because of the State government’s new liquor policy,” said a Jayasena Reddy, Deputy Commissioner Excise Department Mahbubnagar.

According to officials there are about 164 wine shops across all the four districts of erstwhile Mahbubnagar. Last year in September, the government had called for new tenders for the wine shops. During the tender process the government could attain revenue of Rs 38 crore. As per the new policy, all those who were participating in the tender process regularly were not given preference and it witnessed new entrants in this business. The government handed over the shops to all those newly attained people from October 1 onwards and since then during the past three months, the shops across all the four districts of Mahbubnagar Wanaparthy, Nagarkurnool and Gadwal had done brisk businesses and netted record sales of Rs 314 crore in just three months.

Another important reason attributed to the highest sales in the district is because of rise in Agriculture farming in the district. The regions of Mahbubnagar, Nagarkurnool, Narayanpet and Makthal areas recorded highest sales of wine last year. In fact, in the year 2016, the wine sales were recorded lowest in Mahbubnagar and Nagarkurnool areas, but the scene has reversed this year, as these regions have got all the lakes and ponds filled up with lift irrigation water and the farmers have attained good yield of crops. Because of this they are having ample money with them to buy liquor, say analysts.

According to official statistics the months of October recorded Rs 112 crore, November Rs 98 crore, December recorded Rs 104 crore and the final day of December 31, 2017 recorded Rs 5 crore of revenue by the sales of wine in the erstwhile Mahbubnagar district.