TASMAC sales expected to cross Rs 200 crore this Sunday: Officials

A day after liquor sales in Tamil Nadu crossed Rs 160 crore after TASMAC outlets reopened on Monday, officials said they are anticipating the sale to increase more over the weekend. "The sale of alcohol is likely to pick up more, especially during the weekend. We are expecting a sale of Rs 200 crore this Sunday," a TASMAC official told DT Next.

The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC), the nodal agency to sell liquor in the State, had opened its liquor outlets in 27 districts with fewer Coronavirus cases. Accordingly, about 4,000 liquor shops were opened in Chennai, Trichy, Marudai, and Salem zones. The timing of liquor sales was fixed from 10 am to 5 pm on all days.

Read more: TASMAC sold Rs 164 cr worth of liquor in just one day

A senior official from the TASMAC told this newspaper on Tuesday that in the Chennai zone, the liquor sales were Rs 42.96 crore. Similarly, in the Madurai zone, it was Rs 49.54 crore, Trichy zone, it was Rs 33.65 crore and in Salem, it was Rs 38.72 crore.

The total liquor sales on Monday alone were Rs 164.87 crore with Madurai zone topping the chart with collecting almost Rs 50 crore on a single day. The official also said that brandy accounts for about 70% of the total liquor sales, followed by whiskey at 20%.

The liquor outlets were not opened in the Coimbatore zone, which comprises several districts including Erode and Tirupur. "Once normalcy restored in these zones, the liquor shops will be opened gradually," the official said.