On Wednesday alone, the day before Thiruvonam, the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (Bevco) sold ₹118 crore worth alcohol.
Representative image. The Kollam Asramam Bevco shop saw the highest liquor sales on Uthradam day of ₹1.6 crore (Unsplash)
The Onam after two years of the Covid pandemic was celebrated in its full glory this year. Every Onam, alcohol sales in the state skyrockets, and this year too, Malayalis did not hesitate as the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (Bevco) recorded a whopping ₹118 crore sale on the day before Thiruvonam and ₹624 crore this week until Wednesday.
The data is based solely on the alcohol sold through Bevco outlets during the Onam week. As Bevco shops remained closed on the day of Thiruvonam, people were dependent on bars for alcohol.
The decline in the number of Covid cases and relaxation in pandemic protocols have been credited for the increased sales of liquor. Nearly ₹32 crore more has been collected this time compared to last year. In 2021, the sale on Uthradam, the day before Thiruvonam, was recorded at ₹85 crore.
The Kollam Asramam Bevco shop saw the highest sales on Uthradam day of ₹1.6 crore, followed by the Powerhouse Road outlet in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram and the Irinjalakuda outlet in Thrissur at ₹1.2 crore.
The fourth and fifth positions were occupied by the Payyannur Bevco shop in Kannur and the Cherthala outlet in Alappuzha that recorded sales of ₹1 crore and ₹99 lakh respectively.
The Kerala government is set to open 243 walk-in Bevco outlets in the coming months in the state.
The sale through BevCo outlets is a major contributor to the state’s exchequer. According to a report by Manorama, ₹1,600 crore was the loss of revenue in the year 2020–2021 due to Covid. The pandemic had forced Bevco to close some of its outlets in the state.
Despite numerous dry days and high taxes on alcohol products, the state of Kerala has the highest per capita consumption of alcohol in the country.
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