While tremendous enthusiasm is being witnessed for the festival of Onam in Kerala, the sale of liquor in the state has also reached a record high. Liquor worth Rs 771.29 crore has been sold in Kerala in the first eight days of the ten-day Onam season. This sale was done through Kerala State Beverages Corporation (Bevco) between August 18 and August 25. The special thing is that at the same time last year, liquor worth Rs 694.96 crore was sold. That is, compared to last year, liquor worth about Rs 76.33 crore has been sold in eight days this year.
There was a significant increase in the sale of liquor on Uttaradam, a day before Onam. In this one day, liquor worth Rs 126.31 crore was sold from BEVCO shops. However, this year's single-day sales are slightly lower than the Rs 137.64 crore liquor sold on the same day last year. However, officials have estimated that the total sales for the entire Onam season will break last year's record.
In 2025, Kerala had sold liquor worth Rs 826.38 crore in the entire Onam season. This year, it crossed the Rs 771.29 crore mark in just eight days, and in the remaining days the figure could easily surpass last year's sales. According to some estimates, this year's total sales may reach around Rs 850 crore.
On the day of Uthradam, huge crowd of customers was seen at some places. Bevco outlet in Karunagappally recorded sales of Rs 1.15 crore. A subsequent outlet made sales of Rs 1.06 crore. Some shops in Thiruvananthapuram, Kasaragod and Alappuzha also made sales between Rs 90 lakh and Rs 1 crore in a single day. Bevco, the company that regulates and distributes liquor in Kerala, is completely owned by the state government. Through this channel, many types of products like foreign liquor, beer, wine and foreign liquor made in India are sold. Therefore, increased sale of liquor during Onam is also important for the state's revenue. However, when these record sales figures are coming out, it is equally important to discuss the social impact behind them.
In Kerala, Onam is being celebrated with great enthusiasm as a festival of family, tradition and happiness, while on the other hand, the sale of liquor during this period has crossed the crore mark. Therefore, the liquor sales figure of Rs 771 crore in the eight days of Onam is not only a sales record but also shows the important role of liquor sales in the Kerala economy.
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