Drinkers and smokers to pay more for their habit

Kolkata | Bengaluru: A lockdown black market has sprung up across the country with some liquor and cigarette retailers selling them at a 5-10% price premium over their sticker rate.
Currently, both cigarettes and liquor are not considered essential items. While grocery shops are the only ones selling cigarettes since pan-and-cigarette shops remain closed during the 21-day lockdown, these retailers are selling the packs at Rs5 -15 more than their printed price citing limited stock, a senior industry executive said.



In case of liquor, shops in certain parts are selling through the backdoor only to select customers at a premium since liquor shops are closed throughout the country with the exception of Kerala where Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) is currently being sold. Production and supplies of both liquor and cigarettes have been suspended since the lockdown announcement, though top manufacturers said there is plenty of stock lying in their warehouses.

In response to a questionnaire, an ITC spokesperson said the company would urge consumers not to pay more than the MRP printed on the retail packages. Liqour industry organisations have approached the government to exempt the sector so that consumers can get the products with consumption having gone up with people stuck at home and production can be started.

Many top brewers and distillers in Karnataka have approached the state excise department seeking permits to allow operations of the continuous process industry, which includes the preliminary steps of making hard spirits and beer such as fermentation of barley and yeast to reduce wastage. Even wineries are approaching the government to permit transport of perishable raw ingredient in grapes to help farmers earn their livelihood.

Rahul Singh, founder at the Beer Cafe chain, said all other countries in lockdown have allowed on-premise retailers to deliver the current and leftover stock of beer off premise.