Karnataka planning to allow the sale of wine in supermarkets, give grape farmers a leg-up
Taking inspiration from neighboring Maharashtra, the Karnataka government is planning to allow the sale of wine in large stores and supermarkets, giving grape-producing farmers a competitive advantage. Only registered wine stores are currently permitted to sell wine in the state.
Karnataka is India’s second-largest grape grower, trailing only Maharashtra, with over 16,000 hectares of land producing around three lakh metric tonnes of grapes.
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On Thursday, the Maharashtra cabinet approved the sale of wine in stores and supermarkets covering 100 square meters. The Maharashtra government believes that this new initiative will benefit both grape farmers and companies.
According to Karnataka Excise Minister K Gopalaiah, who spoke to The New Indian Express, a team of officials from his department will visit Maharashtra soon to study the pros and cons of such a move. ‘We need to get a report from the ground. If this initiative benefits both people and the government, we may consider implementing it in Karnataka’ He stated.
According to Excise Department sources, Karnataka is likely to use this method. ‘We do not allow wine consumption in stores, only sales. We can anticipate good revenue. We will present the Maharashtra model to the cabinet once we receive a report on its feasibility’ an official stated
The Karnataka government proposed starting online sales and home delivery of liquor some time ago. However, the minister has ruled out any such proposal for the time being.
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