Maharashtra’s Liquor Sales Plunge After Price Hike, Excise Revenue Slumps

Last Updated:October 19, 2025, 12:20 IST

Maharashtra's foreign liquor sales plunged after price hikes, dropping excise revenue. Officials blame rising living costs, not just prices, for the sharp decline.

The contours of the case point to a deliberate sabotage of the state’s liquor procurement system, siphoning crores from the public exchequer while propping up spurious brands.

Following a hike in foreign liquor prices, Maharashtra has seen a sharp decline in sales, hitting the state’s excise revenue. State excise department figures show that until September, just 15.1 crore litres were sold, a steep drop from 32.19 crore litres during the same period last year.

30 crore litres were sold in 2024-25 in the full fiscal year, 27.72 crore litres in 2023-24, and 22.52 crore litres in 2022-23. Interestingly, foreign liquor sales had risen during the pandemic years.

In 2018-19 and 2019-20, sales were 20.77 crore litres and 21 crore litres, respectively. In a non-pandemic year like 2017-18, sales stood at 17.93 crore litres.

The increase in liquor prices has also hit country liquor sales hard. Between January and September this year, only 21.09 crore litres were sold, down sharply from 40.35 crore litres during the same period last year, the Indian Express reported.

This steep fall in sales has taken a toll on revenue, with excise earnings dropping to Rs 12,332 crore up to September, compared with Rs 25,467 crore in the previous year.

Senior state excise officials acknowledged that foreign liquor sales have declined but said the price increase is not the sole reason. They emphasised that rising living costs have led people to cut back on spending, with liquor being one of the affected items.

“Liquor, especially foreign liquor, is the last priority for most people. The price hike was intended to boost revenue and align prices with other states, but it has not been well-received in Maharashtra. The 31st December is one of the major event that may add revenue and depicts the rosy picture," the Indian Express quoted him as saying, requesting anonymity.

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