logo
Beer sales dip over 18% in first half of 2025

Beer sales dip over 18% in first half of 2025

Time of India15-07-2025
Bengaluru: Beer sales in Karnataka have taken a hit in the first six months of 2025, with overall sales dropping by more than 18% compared to the same period last year, even as revenue increased marginally by 0.6%.
According to the excise department, only 209.9 lakh carton boxes were sold between Jan and June this year, down from 257 lakh cartons in the first half of 2024.
The decline was steepest in Jan with sales falling by 30.6%. Even during April and May — months that usually see a surge in beer consumption due to peak summer — sales dipped by over 16% and 26% respectively. Feb saw a marginal 5.5% drop, while March and June recorded double-digit falls of 15.4% and 13.8%, suggesting the decline is not merely seasonal.
You Can Also Check:
Bengaluru AQI
|
Weather in Bengaluru
|
Bank Holidays in Bengaluru
|
Public Holidays in Bengaluru
Industry insiders say the sustained slump is largely due to repeated hikes in additional excise duty (AED) and increasing retail prices. In the past two years, the govt has revised taxes and licence fees on beer and low-end Indian-made liquor (IML) four times, pushing both manufacturers and sellers into a corner.
A pub chain owner from Church Street said the numbers reflect the cumulative impact of policy changes. "The main culprit is the constant uncertainty that leaves owners in losses.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Giá vàng đang tăng mạnh trong năm 2025 — Các nhà giao dịch thông minh đã tham gia
IC Markets
Tìm hiểu thêm
Undo
Even with more spending on advertising, footfall hasn't improved. We can't hike food prices either — customers simply won't come."
The sentiment is echoed by a liquor shop owner from Shivamogga, who has been in the trade for two decades. "People who once bought four bottles now settle for one. I used to sell nearly 10 cartons a day, now it's down to seven. To recover, we've had to raise prices on food and other items, but business is still in losses," he said.
In response to the industry's concerns, the govt recently altered the AED (additional excise duty) structure. Venkatesh Kumar R, commissioner, excise department, told TOI that the earlier system of 195% duty plus an additional Rs 130 per bulk litre had been revised. "It's now a flat 200% AED across all segments. Manufacturers told us the Rs 130 slab was pushing up prices for low-cost beer by Rs 15–20, hurting volumes.
The change was made based on those inputs," Kumar added.
However, the revised duty structure has been in place for only a month, and officials admit that a full recovery will take time. Kumar noted this year's early onset of monsoon meant a weak summer, another factor that pulled down beer demand. "April to July is usually peak season, especially in Bengaluru, but that didn't materialise. Sales have been subdued across the state," he said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Supply of ethanol-blended petrol jumps more than 4-fold in four years
Supply of ethanol-blended petrol jumps more than 4-fold in four years

Time of India

timea few seconds ago

  • Time of India

Supply of ethanol-blended petrol jumps more than 4-fold in four years

The ethanol-blended petrol supplied at the retail outlets of the public sector oil companies such as Indian Oil and Bharat Petroleum has shot up from 173 crore litres in Ethanol Supply Year (November-October) 2019-20 to more than 700 crore litres in Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2023-24, while there has also been a corresponding increase in blending percentage from 5 per cent in ESY 2019-20 to approximately 14.6 per cent in ESY 2023-24, the Parliament was informed on Monday. Further, for the ongoing Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2024-25, as of June 30, 2025, a total of 661.06 crore litres of ethanol has been blended with petrol, achieving a blending percentage of 18.93 per cent, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply to a question. During the month of June 2025, ethanol blending of 19.92 per cent has been achieved. All retail outlets of Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies across the country, having petrol selling facilities, dispense E20 petrol, the minister added. Highlighting India's achievements in the biofuels sector, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh highlighted that nearly 20 per cent ethanol blending has been achieved in 2025, a significant rise from 1.53 per cent in 2014. This accomplishment has resulted in Rs 1.4 lakh crore in foreign exchange savings, substitution of 238 lakh metric tonnes of crude oil, a reduction of 717 lakh metric tonnes in CO2 emissions, and direct payments of Rs 1.21 lakh crore to farmers. Farmers have gained as the sugar mills that are also producing ethanol can now afford to pay higher prices for sugarcane and clear pending dues in time. Encouraged by the performance, the government decided to advance the target of 20 per cent ethanol blending in petrol from 2030 to ESY 2025-26. In order to achieve the 20 per cent ethanol blending target by ESY 2025-26, the government has taken several measures which include a detailed Roadmap for Ethanol Blending in India, expansion of feedstock for the production of ethanol, remunerative price for procurement of ethanol under the EBP Programme, lowering of the GST rate to 5 per cent on ethanol for EBP Programme, and an amendment in the Industries (Development & Regulation) Act for free movement of ethanol across states for blending. An interest subvention scheme for enhancement and augmentation of ethanol production capacity in the country; regular floating of Expression of Interest (EoI) by Public Sector oil marketing companies for procurement of ethanol has also been undertaken.

AIIB in talks with India on sovereign infrastructure project pipeline
AIIB in talks with India on sovereign infrastructure project pipeline

Mint

timea few seconds ago

  • Mint

AIIB in talks with India on sovereign infrastructure project pipeline

New Delhi: Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), in which India is the second largest shareholder after China, is holding discussions with the Central and state governments as well as Indian industry to finance a robust pipeline of sovereign and private sector projects, AIIB vice president Ajay Bhushan Pandey said on Tuesday. The development bank is working towards stepping up annual project financing from about $10 billion last fiscal to $17 billion over the next few years. Pandey, who is on a visit to India, said AIIB finances projects not only in traditional infrastructure, but also in digital public infrastructure, data centres, digital communication, affordable housing, health and education. AIIB already has deployed $12 billion in India, of which $1.8 billion is in the private sector. It has a loan book of about $60 billion and is aiming to step this up. 'We will closely engage with government of India, the state governments and the private sector in India,' Pandey, who had previously served as India's finance secretary and as the chairperson of audit regulator National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA), told reporters on the sidelines of an interaction with industry leaders organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). 'We will work with all line-ministries to create a very sound pipeline of sovereign projects. Similarly, we will work with private sector players to create the pipeline of the projects where we can finance through all the options that are available". Pandey explained that AIIB's message to the Central ministries and state governments is this, 'This is your bank and you must make optimum use of the resources available.' 'Yesterday we had a detailed meeting with the secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, and secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation on the water sector, including revival of many dams, the Namami Gange project and the inter-linking of rivers. We are going to have discussions with the ministries of health and power and then with the Honourable chief minister Maharashtra and state officials to discuss building a pipeline of infrastructure projects both in public andprivatesector,' said Pandey. Besides China and India, the other leading shareholders in the banks set up a decade ago are Russia, Germany and South Korea. The multilateral bank with 110 member-nations is making a strong foray into development financing as emerging economies need to invest heavily for development, especially to transition to less-carbon intensive economies. According to a Deloitte India report released earlier this month, titled 'The climate response: Tapping into India's climate and energy transition opportunity,'India would require a $1.5-trillion investment by 2030 across key areas to address the climate challenge at scale. The investments will be driven by India's efforts towards renewable energy, biofuels, decarbonization and sustainable infrastructure to combat climate change, the report said. In 2021, India committed to achieving net zero emission by 2070.

Odisha demands Rs 3,069 crore from Centre under RDSS
Odisha demands Rs 3,069 crore from Centre under RDSS

News18

time8 minutes ago

  • News18

Odisha demands Rs 3,069 crore from Centre under RDSS

Agency: Bhubaneswar, Jul 29 (PTI) The Odisha government on Tuesday urged the Centre for early sanction of Rs 3,069 crore under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS). Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo has raised this demand before Union Power Minister Manohar Lal during his meeting in New Delhi, an official statement said. The Centre had launched the RDSS with an aim to reduce the aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses to pan-India levels. Under the scheme, financial assistance to power distribution companies is provided for upgradation of the distribution infrastructure and for prepaid smart consumer metering and system metering based on meeting pre-qualifying criteria and achieving basic minimum benchmark in reforms, officials said. As Odisha frequently faces natural disasters like cyclones and floods, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) has proposed the creation of disaster-resilient power infrastructure with selective underground cabling, especially 30 km from the coastline, the statement said. Therefore, Odisha urgently needs central financial assistance for disaster-resilient power infrastructure, Singh Deo said. Considering the rising demand for power, he urged Lal for the allocation of 800 megawatt (MW) power from NLC Talabira Phase-II project in addition to the 400 MW already allocated in Phase-I to Odisha. It would bring the total share to 1,200 MW from 3,200 MW total project capacity, the statement said. PTI BBM BBM RG view comments First Published: July 29, 2025, 20:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store