Global Alcohol Cos Demand $466 Mn From Telangana In Payments Row

Telangana owes unpaid dues of about ₹4,000 cr to whisky and beer firms, people from the industry said

- Reuters

Global alcohol companies such as Diageo, Pernod Ricard and Carlsberg are demanding unpaid dues of about $466 million from Telangana, where Heineken suspended supplies this week in an unprecedented move, three people from the industry said.

India is the world's eighth-biggest alcohol market by volume, with annual revenues that Euromonitor estimated last year at $45 billion. Its states individually regulate pricing of alcohol products, which are major contributors to their revenue.

Heineken's United Breweries has said it will halt supplies to southern Telangana, India's biggest beer consumer, because of delayed payments and lack of government approval for higher prices since fiscal year 2019-20, which hurt its finances.