Dasara liquor rush pushes Telangana’s ₹2,000 crore collection in 19 days; beer volume jumped 41%

The Dasara festival rush pushed liquor depot sales in Telangana past the ₹2,000 crore mark in just 19 days in October, with stocks up 37.02% over the same period last year. Beer volumes saw an even sharper increase of nearly 41% as retailers stocked up ahead of the festival.

According to data shared by the Telangana Excise Department, in daily sales data, liquor worth ₹2,054.51 crore was shipped through warehouses between October 1 and 19, compared to ₹1,499.46 crore in the corresponding period in 2025, an increase of ₹555.05 crore.

The increase was particularly pronounced in the days leading up to Dasara, which saw a collection of ₹303.40 crore on 19 October against ₹33.64 crore on the same date last year. This represented an increase of 801.90%, although the unusually high percentage also reflects differences in the festival calendar between the two years.

Indian Foreign Liquor (IMFL) shipments on October 19 reached 2.72 million cases compared to 0.30 million cases last year, while beer shipments stood at 4.25 million cases compared to 0.52 million cases for the corresponding date in 2025.

Holiday demand leads to a sharp increase

Daily figures show spirits stocks have been gaining strength as the festival approaches, with some of the highest sales recorded during the second half of October.

In 2025, on October 1, the depot’s sales were ₹41.14 crore, down 52.29% compared to ₹86.23 billion on the corresponding date last year. However, by 3 October, the revenue had climbed to ₹144.10 crore. No sales were recorded on Dasara’s account on October 3, making a direct year-over-year percentage comparison impossible.

This year, on October 5, liquor stocks reached ₹ 176.43 crore, compared to ₹ 50.21 billion last year, an increase of 251.38%. The revenue subsequently stood at ₹104.43 million on 6 October and ₹84.27 million on 7 October.

The increase was more pronounced in the second half of the month. As of 16 October, revenue stood at ₹126.32 crore compared to ₹68.93 billion last year, an increase of 83.26%.

A day later on 17 October, ₹223.25 crore worth of liquor was shipped through warehouses, compared to ₹89.28 billion by the corresponding date in 2025, registering an increase of 150.06%.

By 19 October, the single-day sales value had climbed to ₹303.40 crore, taking the cumulative revenue to over ₹2,000 crore.

Beer volumes are experiencing sharper growth

While the value of liquor shipped increased by 37.02% in the first 19 days of October, beer volumes grew faster than IMFL volumes.

IMFL shipments stood at 18.38 million cases during the period compared to 14.16 million cases last year, an increase of 29.80%. Meanwhile, beer shipments rose from 21.55 million cases to 30.37 million cases, an increase of 40.93%.

The figures suggest a significant increase in beer supplies over the holiday season, although they do not track how much of the supplied stock was sold directly to consumers.

The cumulative figures show how quickly the value of spirits stocks increased during the month. As of October 7, revenue stood at ₹ 550.37 crore, marginally higher than the ₹ 549.38 crore recorded during the corresponding period in 2025, reflecting a growth of just 0.18%.

Till 16 October, the cumulative revenue had climbed to ₹ 1,527.85 crore, registering a growth of 24.99% over last year. On 17 October, this figure reached ₹1,751.07 crore, with a year-on-year growth of 33.50%.

The latest figures recorded after all warehouses closed at 11 pm on October 19 placed cumulative sales at ₹2,054.51 crore.

The difference in the Dasara calendar is significant when comparing the numbers. While last year the festival fell on October 2, this year it was observed on October 20, shifting the period of peak holiday stocking.

Published – 21 Oct 2026 20:31 IST