Alcoholic Beverages

Introduction

In India the total alcohol production more than doubled to 800 million liters between 1993 and 1996. The unrecorded consumption was estimated to be more than 1200 liters in India in the recent years. A study carried out in India reported that drinking families from lower income groups spend 15%- 45% of their income on alcohol.

Production area

Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Kerela and mostly all Indian metropolises have alcohol industry establishments. The southern region of India has abundant consumption of alcohol.

Growth promotional activities

In earlier years the policy of the Indian government was to discourage the consumption of alcoholic beverages. This even went so far as to involve total prohibition in some states. However, the resulting problems of illicit distillation, the leakage of government excise revenue and the problems involved in enforcement, led to a review of this policy. The importation of potable alcohol is subject to government licensing. Alcoholic drinks carry a very heavy tax burden, which is in itself a major source of revenue for state governments.

Types

Liquor manufactured in India is categorized as beer, country liquor and Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL). IMFL production includes wines, whisky, rum, vodka, gin and brandy. Draught beer has been recently introduced and has done well in the places in which it has been introduced. Canned beer is an even more recently introduced new beverage.