Did Keralites set a new record for liquor sales this Onam season?

Liquor sales in Kerala during the nine days leading up to Onam fell to Rs 701 crore, marking a Rs 14 crore decrease from last year’s Rs 715 crore.

Data from the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (Bevco) shows this decline comes despite an increase in the number of bars across the State. In contrast to the overall decline, liquor sales on Uthradam, the eve of Thiruvonam, experienced a notable boost. On September 14, Uthradam day, Bevco recorded a revenue of Rs 124 crore, up by Rs 4 crore compared to last year’s figures for the same day.

Kollam in lead

Bevco’s outlet in Asramam, Kollam, led the sales on Uthradam day, achieving Rs 1.15 crore in revenue, a figure matched by the Karunagappally outlet, also recording Rs 1.15 crore. Following these top performers, the Chalakkudy outlet in Thrissur came in third with Rs 1.04 crore in sales.

Other notable high performers included the Irinjalakuda outlet in Thrissur, which generated Rs 1 crore, and the PowerHouse road outlet in Thiruvananthapuram, which earned Rs 99.40 lakh. The Changanassery outlet in Kottayam made Rs 94.65 lakh, while the Tirur outlet in Malappuram achieved Rs 87.84 lakh, and the Court Junction outlet in Cherthala, Alappuzha, recorded Rs 86.73 lakh.

Moreover, Bevco has recommended a record bonus for its staff this year. The proposed bonus of up to Rs 95,000 is an increase from last year’s ceiling of Rs 90,000. This bonus will be awarded as both a performance incentive and an ex-gratia payment.