Bid to brand Assam tribal brews to beat Vodka, Feni

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, July 27: At long last, Dispur has realized that it can make the good use of its diverse and colourful ethnicity.  Assam’s strength lies in its diverse and colourful culture and ethnicity that have different brews that are too important to be without from the cultural and ethnic point of view. Now the government at Dispur wants to see Assam tribal brews beating Vodka of Russia, Feni of Goa and heritage wine of Rajasthan.  

Such an attitudil change has got its reflection in the speech of State Fince Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s the 2016-17 Budget. The minister tabled his political career’s first Budget on July 26, 2016. Assam is famous for its diverse ethnic brews. Different folks in the State have their own brews that are deeply rooted in their ethnic or folk culture. Many of the tribal brews of Assam are thought to be of high medicil values. However, no efforts were made by the government at Dispur to make the good use of them. What the diverse tribal brews of Assam need, according to the State Fince Minister, is their standardization, addition of value hygienically and proper packaging so as to catch the consumers’ eyes.

The minister feels that such local brews cam be promoted by giving them proper brand mes and sold them in permitted shops. If properly showcased, the minister feels that the Assam tribal brews can beat Feni of Goa, Heritage wine of Rajasthan and Vodka of Russia.

Sarma feels that the existing system of allotment of country spirit mahals is archaic, ineffective and prone to tax evasion and corruption, and as such the need of the hour is reforms in production, distribution and sale of country spirit. “…I propose to replace such mahal system with a more scientific system of bottling of country spirit by the bottling plant which assures same kind of standard as that of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) in order to improve the hygience as being practiced in the best performing States,” Sarma said, and added: “The sale of such hygiene country liquor will take place through IMFL retail outlets and at any other point as the Excise Department may deem fit and proper. This’ll also improve the revenue collection and ensure consumption of healthy hygiene country spirit.”