Assam's Liquor Sales Surge, But Quality Checks Lag Behind

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: Assam has witnessed a steep rise in liquor sales and receipt of excise revenue in the past six years, but checking of the quality of materials used for manufacture of spirits and beer is not being done as per rules of the Excise Department.

In 2018-19, the Excise Department collected a revenue of Rs 1,399 crore that jumped to Rs 3,038 crore in 2023-24, which more than doubled during this time. Similarly, the sale of Indian-made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) in 2018-19 was 5.44 crore LPL (London Proof Litres), which rose to 9.14 crore LPL in 2023-24, nearly double. In the same period, the sale of beer jumped from 3.21 crore bulk litres to 7.16 crore bulk litres, which is more than double. Sale of country liquor in the same period also jumped from 44 lakh bulk litres to 81 lakh bulk litres.

According to a CAG report, state excise revenue is one of the largest sources of the state's own tax revenue, and it has seen significant growth over the past few years. Excise revenue comes from ad valorem levies, establishment charges, licence fees, import and export pass fees, brand label registrations, etc.

The report stated, "Manufacture and sale of alcohol products involve important economic, social and cultural dimensions. The aspect of quality control for liquor is crucial from the viewpoint of health and socio-economic consequences. Hence, checking the quality of alcoholic products is required to be carried out strictly and on a regular basis. As per Assam Excise Rules, samples of materials used in the distillery for the manufacture of spirits shall be sent to the Chemical Examiner for analysis before use or issue from the distillery. The licensee of a brewery shall arrange to check the quality of raw materials used and the beer produced in a brewery by the Chemical Examiner, Excise Assam. However, none of the distillery nor the brewery had sent samples of materials used for the manufacture of spirits and beer to the Chemical Examiner for analysis before use. Thus, the quality of materials used for the manufacture of spirits and beer was not ensured by the authorities."

The report further said, "The Excise officials posted at those distilleries and breweries also did not ensure compliance with the rules' provisions. The department stated that samples of alcoholic products were sent to the Chemical Examiner for testing prior to issue from the distillery in conformity with rules. The reply did not address the critical lapse of raw materials quality control. This oversight compromises product safety standards and regulatory integrity, highlighting the need for strict enforcement of raw material testing requirements to ensure quality, consumer safety, and adherence to the law."

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