Liquor lovers in Maharashtra may soon have a reason to raise a toast

Liquor in Maharashtra may soon be available in supermarkets, shops in stores, daily necessities shops, departmental stores, bakeries and similar outlets as the state government may soon draft a new policy, allowing liquor makers May allow you to expand your retail footprint. The thinking behind this change is that most wines contain very little pure spirits compared to other wines. In addition, a large number of restaurants and bakeries use wine to make food.

The existing liquor policy, which allows sale of liquor only through specialized liquor shops, is in force for the last 20 years and will expire by the end of this month.

The government has already declared Rs 10 per liter (all types of liquor) bottle as nominal excise duty. According to senior officials of the Excise Department, this would fetch only Rs 5 crore revenue to the state, but would help the excise administration to know how many liquor bottles are being sold in the market.

There are 40 to 45 operational wineries in Maharashtra. Of these, 15 to 20 units directly market the products, while the rest are manufacturers only. The liquor industry has a turnover of around ₹1,000 crore in India, of which 65% units are in Maharashtra. Most of the wineries are located in Nashik, which produces about 80% of India’s wines, followed by Sangli, Pune, Solapur, Buldhana and Ahmednagar. Under the new liberalized policy for retailing, the current sales of 70 lakh liters per annum in the state are expected to go up to 10 million liters.

Jagdish Holkar, president of the All-India Wine Producers Association (AIWPA), told FE that the new year could bring new good news for the region. He said the association has placed a list of demands before the government and some of the recommendations are likely to be considered by the government. Some of the demands to be considered by the state cabinet include allowing sale of liquor in supermarkets, allowing sale of liquor on dry days, reducing the legal drinking age to 21 years and allowing sale of liquor on e-commerce platforms. Is. and through apps.

“It has taken two decades for the country’s wine sector to reach a turnover of Rs 1,000 crore and we aim to grow it five times in the next five years by promoting wine in a big way in the state. Liquor should be easily available to the end consumer,” Holkar said.