Kerala govt mulls amending law to thrive in foreign liquor export

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government is making plans to amend the law to allow foreign liquor to be produced in the state and exported to other states and abroad. The expert committee appointed under the leadership of KSIDC MD Hari Kishore have handed over the report to the government.

The main aim will be to make the best use of the growing demand for Kerala’s foreign liquor brands from other states.

The main proposal is to nullify NOC for the export of foreign liquor. This is because the excise will check everything related to the liquor brand while issuing the export permit.

Other suggestions

1. The requirement of obtaining a distillery license for entrepreneurs from another state for the production of liquor in collaboration with distilleries in Kerala should be waived. All the 17 distilleries in the state are currently using only half of their operational capacity. Revenue will increase as new brands come in.

2. For international trade shows and road shows, the quantity of alcohol that can be taken abroad should be increased from 10 litres to 20 litres per month.

3. Registration of labels on bottles should be changed. The current system is to obtain excise clearance by paying a fixed fee for any change in the label. The manufacturer can decide how to label it. There should be no anti-national or callous remarks.

4. Export label approval fee, brand registration fee and export pass fee of liquor should be waived.

5. Instead of escorting excise guards to vehicles carrying extra neutral alcohol to distilleries, GPS should be ensured in all vehicles. By this, the cost meant for escort guards can be saved.