Telangana Tipplers Fight Over “Beer Necessities” During the Heaviest Summer Months as Extended Poll Season and Government Change Affect Supply

The beer shortage was an unanticipated consequence of Telangana’s successive assembly and Lok Sabha elections as well as the state’s late-year political shift.

There has been a persistent shortage of beer for the last month, even though the supply usually runs out for a few weeks during the summer months owing to strong demand.

Owner of the By The Bottle bar in Jubilee Hills, Ranjith Dodda, told News18: “We have been having problems meeting customer demand for the last 45 days, but in the past, we have experienced a shortage in the supply of beer cases for a maximum of 2-3 days.” There was a scarcity of 330 ml pint beers around two weeks ago, and we are now not receiving 650 ml either. The shops are limiting it to eight or nine cases, even if we manage to acquire it. Normally, we hold 100 cases for three days, but right now, there are just ten or so.

Hyderabadi IT developer Satyajith says that he hasn’t been able to locate his preferred beer brands for more than a month. “In the city, Kingfisher and Budweiser are no longer accessible. Sophisticated liquor stores such as Tonique are carrying obscure German labels. They taste like wine and are two to three times more expensive. The neighborhood wine stores sell premium beer like Corona,” he remarked.

Telangana has nineteen enterprises that produce alcoholic beverages. Six of these make beer. These breweries generate 50 lakh beer cases every month. These businesses get their raw resources from the state. The Telangana State Beverages Corporation Limited then distributes the liquor to merchants.

The company is also known to purchase beer from other states if there is a production shortage. The state has 2,620 stores, and 19 depots handle the distribution of liquor.

One of the reasons for the shortfall, according to a department of excise and prohibition officer who spoke with News18, is that many shopkeepers sell booze to illegal (belt) shops at a higher price. Depots may use this strategy to get rid of inventories. Light beers like Budweiser and Kingfisher are in great demand because ladies and youth like them. Beer sales reached 52 lakh cases as of May 23 this year, compared to 42 lakh cases sold through April of the previous year. As a result, producers are having trouble meeting the strong demand.

However, sources informed News18 that the government’s unpaid debt to the corporations that manufacture booze is the primary cause of the shortage. Every 45 days, the firms must get payment. The current Lok Sabha elections have prevented the authorities from doing this. This has also provided the firms with an opportunity to fabricate a scarcity in the market in order to put pressure on the government to compensate them. Aside from this, in this intense heat, political parties like serving cold beer to rally attendees. Because of this, beer cases are selling out of stores more quickly, according to a source.

The Telangana Wine Shop Dealers Association president, D Venkateshwara Rao, echoed this, saying: “Every year, beer sales increase during the summer, and arrangements are made to cater to the demand quickly.” However, the producers are unable to provide the necessary amounts because of the Model Code of Conduct during elections. Rumors have said that these firms are owed money by the government. We are seeing delays because, after the assembly elections, the government apparatus underwent a transformation. The government does not provide the stores with fast-moving brands, even if it claims to be supplying adequate inventories. Having a lot of slow-moving ones is pointless.

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy fired the chairmen of 54 Telangana corporations after taking office in December of last year. Telangana State Beverages Development Corporation Limited’s Gajjela Nagesh is one of them. After him, no one was appointed to the position.