Excise minister Parimal Suklabaidya said, “License applications of two manufacturers are under process and their production is likely to start from May.” The two applicants are Jorhat and Amingaon-based manufacturers.
The names of the brands will be decided later but every bottle would be labelled with “Assam Country Beverages” tag, which will identify it as a traditional drink of the state, said an excise official.
One of the applicants seeking a production license, Akash Jyoti Gogoi, owner of Maverick Technologies, said that in Assam almost all the traditional liquors are made from fermented rice and even his company will use the same ingredients.
According to Assam heritage liquor rules, the brew can be made from fermented grains and fruits only with the alcohol content not exceeding 12%.
An excise official said that a minimum capital of Rs 50 lakhs is required to start production after incorporating all the norms that must be followed.
The state excise minister said that the state government is welcoming all interested manufacturers willing to produce heritage liquor. He added, “We wanted to start last year but all these days we did not get any manufacturer.”
The government does not have to spend a single paisa for the project whereas it is expecting to generate huge revenues if the project is successful.
The brew will be made available at different outlets which will include new sellers other than the existing liquor shops. The fee for a license has been deliberately kept low at Rs 5,000.
The state excise department had even invited brew makers from Arunachal Pradesh to share their knowledge with the local entrepreneurs in Assam.
State finance minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, had announced the idea during the budget session of 2016-17. The policy was notified in May 2017 after amending the Assam Excise Act 2000.
“During food festivals people throng the venues to taste various traditional brews. Now the liquor will be available in wine stores and we are expecting good sales,” said general secretary of Wine Shop Association, Alok Dutta.
