Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Aug 9: The Dakshina Kannada excise department has reported a significant fall in liquor sales, with nearly 40,000 fewer boxes of alcohol sold each month since April. This represents a 20% to 25% shortfall in the district’s monthly sales target of two lac boxes of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL).

Officials and industry sources have attributed the decline to a combination of factors, including a slowdown in fishing, laterite quarrying, and sand mining, as well as a sharp drop in cross-border liquor demand from Kerala due to price equalisation.

Representational image

Low-cost liquor demand declines

A city-based liquor vendor, who owns multiple outlets including along the Kerala border, noted that the demand for low-cost liquor has sharply declined — a segment that previously contributed significantly to Dakshina Kannada’s revenue.

“For the past few months, all these sectors, starting with fishing, have seen very little activity. The last fishing season wound up early, and the new season has just begun. The second blow was to the sand mining industry, followed by the ban on laterite quarrying. It will take at least another month for all these activities to resume in full swing,” the vendor explained.

He emphasised that those employed in fishing, agriculture, sand extraction, and quarrying were among the biggest consumers of liquor in the district.

Excise Department confirms revenue shortfall

M Srinivas, deputy commissioner of the Excise Department, confirmed that the district had fallen short of its expected revenue figures, largely due to the halt in manual labour-driven economic sectors. “The fishing activity is yet to resume operations fully. Heavy rains have also contributed to the slowdown, with tourism activities coming to a standstill,” he said, highlighting that many workers remain unemployed.

Puttur and Sullia see steep drops

Sales in Puttur andSullia taluks have declined more significantly than in other parts of the district. Between April and July last year, Puttur recorded 1,39,646 boxes, while Sullia sold 72,184 boxes. In comparison, sales this year for the same period have dropped to 1,26,439 and 66,976 boxes, respectively.

Border sales no longer booming

Liquor vendors along the Kerala – Kannada border, particularly near Talapady, have also experienced a decline in customer footfall. A local bar and restaurant owner noted that cross-border buyers, who once made up a sizeable portion of their clientele, are no longer crossing state lines for their purchases.

“Now, the prices here are almost the same as in Kerala, and as a result, demand for Karnataka liquor has dropped. Earlier, over 30% of liquor sales in Dakshina Kannada came from booze lovers across the border,” he said.

With fishing just beginning to restart, and quarrying and sand mining still facing restrictions, officials suggest it may take at least another month for liquor sales to bounce back to normal levels in the district.