Telangana liquor sales cross ₹2,000 crore as beer volumes jump 41%

Telangana’s excise depots supplied liquor worth ₹2,054.51 crore between October 1 and 19, taking cumulative sales past the ₹2,000-crore mark as retailers stocked up ahead of Dasara.

The supply value was 37.02% higher than the ₹1,499.46 crore recorded during the corresponding period in 2025, an increase of ₹555.05 crore.

Beer volumes grew faster than Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), rising 40.93% during the period compared with a 29.80% increase in IMFL supplies.

Sales surged as Dasara approached

The Telangana Excise Department’s daily figures show that the increase was concentrated around the period leading up to the festival.

On October 19, liquor worth ₹303.40 crore was supplied through depots, compared with ₹33.64 crore on the corresponding date last year.

That represented an increase of 801.90%, although the department’s figures also show that the comparison was affected by differences in the festival calendar between the two years.

IMFL supplies on October 19 reached 2.72 lakh cases, compared with 0.30 lakh cases last year.

Beer supplies on the same date stood at 4.25 lakh cases, against 0.52 lakh cases on the corresponding date in 2025.

The daily figures had shown a more gradual build-up earlier in the month.

On October 1, depot sales stood at ₹41.14 crore, compared with ₹86.23 crore on the corresponding date last year, a decline of 52.29%.

Sales rose to ₹144.10 crore by October 3.

No sales were recorded on October 3 on account of Dasara, making a direct year-on-year percentage comparison impossible for that date.

On October 5, liquor supplies reached ₹176.43 crore, compared with ₹50.21 crore last year, an increase of 251.38%.

Sales stood at ₹104.43 crore on October 6 and ₹84.27 crore on October 7.

The rise became sharper during the latter half of the month, according to the daily sales data.

October 17 and 19 drove the jump

Sales reached ₹126.32 crore on October 16, compared with ₹68.93 crore last year, registering an increase of 83.26%.

The following day, depots supplied liquor worth ₹223.25 crore, against ₹89.28 crore on the corresponding date in 2025.

The increase on October 17 was 150.06%, taking cumulative sales to ₹1,751.07 crore.

By October 19, the single-day sales figure had climbed to ₹303.40 crore, pushing cumulative depot supplies beyond ₹2,000 crore.

The latest figures were recorded after all depots closed at 11 p.m. on October 19, when cumulative sales stood at ₹2,054.51 crore.

The cumulative figures show how quickly the value of supplies accelerated after a relatively subdued opening to the month.

As of October 7, cumulative sales stood at ₹550.37 crore, only marginally above the ₹549.38 crore recorded during the corresponding period in 2025.

The growth at that stage was 0.18%.

By October 16, cumulative sales had risen to ₹1,527.85 crore, representing growth of 24.99% over last year.

The figure increased to ₹1,751.07 crore on October 17, with year-on-year growth rising to 33.50%.

Beer stocking outpaced IMFL

The increase in beer supplies was more pronounced than the growth in IMFL supplies during the first 19 days of October.

IMFL supplies reached 18.38 lakh cases, compared with 14.16 lakh cases last year, an increase of 29.80%.

Beer supplies rose from 21.55 lakh cases last year to 30.37 lakh cases during the period under review.

That amounted to a 40.93% increase in beer volumes.

The figures indicate a substantial rise in beer stocking during the festive period.

However, the supplied volumes do not establish how much of that stock was sold directly to consumers.

The data therefore records the movement of supplies through depots and the increase in retailer stocking, rather than providing a direct measure of consumer purchases.

Festival calendar affected comparisons

The difference in the Dasara calendar is significant when the two years’ figures are compared.

Dasara fell on October 2 last year, while it was observed on October 20 this year.

That shift moved the period of peak festive stocking and contributed to sharp differences in daily year-on-year comparisons, particularly around October 19.

The overall figures nevertheless show that liquor depot supplies crossed ₹2,000 crore within the first 19 days of October, while beer recorded the sharper volume increase.

Source: The Hindu