Liquor sales expected to go up during Onam season
Liquor sales in Kerala are expected to reach record highs during the Onam festival season, reflecting a growing social trend of alcohol consumption during celebrations. Anti-liquor activists have expressed concern over this trend and the lack of effective campaigning against it.
Why it matters
The article highlights a tension between state-run revenue generation through alcohol sales and public health concerns regarding rising consumption.
The ever-increasing sales figures of alcohol at the outlets run by the monopoly government agencies attest to an evolving social trend, a disturbing one too, in Keralam.
The turnout at the liquor outlets ahead of Onam reflects Keralites’ changing behaviour when it comes to celebrations. Alcohol appears to have evolved as an inevitable ingredient for all celebrations.
The Kerala State Beverages Corporation (Bevco) has been stocking up well ahead of the peak of the festival. The agency sold liquor to the tune of ₹970.74 crore during the previous Onam season, compared to the ₹842.07 crore the year before. This time, it expects the figures to touch a new high.
The corporation, which supplies liquor through its 289 outlets across the State, is expecting the sales to go up across price sectors and common categories.
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