The Hindu Business Line : It's `rum maro rum' for Kerala tipplers

The liquor industry figures available at the beginning of this financial year showed that rum had already displaced brandy, long considered the traditional flavour of the State, as the leading flavour with 54 per cent share of the market. Since then, it has leaped further.

The April - January (2001-02) figures of Kerala State Beverages Corporation (KSBC) shows that rum accounted for 50,76,626 cases out of the total sales pegged at 77,71,084 cases. This gives rum a jaw-dropping share of 65.32 per cent in the 8.5 million cases overall market.

The industry sources said rum's cumulative shares on March 31 would remain at around 65 per cent.

Meanwhile, brandy flavour continued its downslide. It may end the financial year with 32 per cent share, down from over 40 per cent, of the State's IMFL market.

Whisky, which controls over 60 per cent of the national IMFL market, and white spirits together have a miserable three per cent of the Kerala market.

The bulk of the surging rum sales in the State comes from the economy and cheap segments of the IMFL market, which in industry parlance constitutes "the second line of spirits''.

The year-end figures reinforce the industry's suggestion that rum gains popularity when consumers downgrade in times of economic turbulence. Kerala, with an estimated 44-lakh unemployed youth, is passing through its worst economic quagmire.

The churning in the Kerala liquor market has posed veritable problems for liquor majors like McDowell & Co and Shaw Wallace.

These companies are faced with the necessity to establish a robust presence in the booming second line rum market, which is at the moment dominated by the medium- sized distillers.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section
It's `rum maro rum' for Kerala tipplers

English movie channels bask in Oscar glory

`Nil Nirjan'

Rotary honour for Ramesh Pai

Service charges on private stadia