Alcohol, India: consumption, business
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IMFL: A history
Jabir , Imperial pints “India Today” 5/6/2017
The British empire may have forced us to pay for our own oppression but it had its compensations. So as the sun flares over another Indian summer, let's raise our chilled glasses to the imperialists who begat Indian beer. The pioneer, apparently, was one Henry Bohle who set up businesses in Meerut and Mussourie in 1825. The latter thrived for some years in the hands of the Mackinnon family, seeding a ferment of hill station breweries that stretched from Murree to Shimla, Kasauli and Ranikhet and on to Darjeeling. Edward Dyer, in particular, bought up or established a chain of breweries in the Himalayas and is credited with launching Asia's first beer brand, 'Lion', which was produced in both Murree and Kasauli. Dyer would sire (and later disown) the notorious Reginald Dyer of Jallianwala Bagh-but that's another story. By the 1880s, another experienced brewer, H.G. Meakin, had set up an extensive empire, buying some of Dyer's factories as well as establishing new ones as far afield as Dalhousie, Kirkee and Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka. The two firms would ultimately merge as Dyer and Meakin in the 1930s.
By 1889, the 25-odd breweries in British India were producing some 5,165,138 gallons a year, (roughly a thousand times less than passes through our national gullets today). And judging by some of the vintage beer labels (yes, it's a thing) treasured by collectors today, there was a lot more variety back then. The Dyer Meakin breweries, for example, offered a range of light and dark ales, a stout, and several 'sparkling beers'. Today, the concern known as Mohan Meakin is sustained by the popularity of its house rum, while johnny-come-lately United Breweries (estd. 1857) dominates India's beer market with bland lagers and knuckleheaded strong beers. Did the British take all the tasty beer with them when they left? Well, the glass may be half empty but look at it this way: they gave us beer, we gave them Vijay Mallya.
Exports
In 2018
From: Oct 10, 2019: The Times of India
See graphic:
India’s Alcohol Exports, presumably as in 2018
Malpractices of the industry
Cartelisation: 2021
Sep 25, 2021: The Times of India
Competition Commission of India (CCI) imposed penalties totalling over Rs 873 crore on United Breweries (UB), Carlsberg India, All India Brewers’ Association (AIBA) and 11 individuals for cartelisation in the sale and supply of beer.
In its 231-page order, which comes nearly four years after ordering a detailed probe, CCI has also directed the companies, association and individuals to “cease and desist” from anti-competitive practices in the future.
The final order has been passed against UB, SABMiller India, now renamed as Anheuser Busch InBev India (AB InBev), and Carlsberg India, among other entities. The regulator did not impose any fine on Ab InBev, while lesser penalties have been slapped on others. UBL and Carlsberg India, which are major players in the beer market, said they were reviewing the order.
An official release said the companies and other entities have been found to be “indulging in cartelisation in the sale and supply of beer in various states and UTs in India, including through the platform of AIBA”. As AIBA was found to be actively involved in facilitating such cartelisation, CCI has also held it to be contravening the competition law. The fines on UBL and Carlsberg India are nearly Rs 752 crore and Rs 121 crore, respectively. A fine of over Rs 6.2 lakh has been imposed on AIBA and various individuals have also been fined by the regulator.
As per the release, October 10, 2018, was the date on which the director general (DG) conducted search and seizure operations at the premises of the beer companies. Based on evidences of regular communications between the parties collected by the DG during search and seizure, and disclosures made in the lesser penalty applications, CCI found that the three companies engaged in price coordination, which is in violation of competition norms, the release said. PTI
