Liquor sales exceed ₹441 crore via TASMAC during Diwali in Tamil Nadu

Liquor worth ₹441.38 crore was sold by the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) during Diwali 2026. According to a report by The Hindu, out of this total sale, over ₹234.75 crore was recorded on Diwali eve, while sales on the main day of Diwali stood at ₹206.63 crore. As Monday is a holiday, subsequent sales are expected to remain at a similar level, estimated at approximately ₹192 crore.

Looking at regional sales figures, the Trichy zone recorded the highest sales of ₹98.97 crore. This was followed by Chennai with ₹95.85 crore, Madurai with ₹88.38 crore, Salem with ₹87.52 crore, and Coimbatore with ₹70.66 crore. However, experts monitoring the Tamil Nadu liquor market state that a slight decline in sales has been observed this year. It is noteworthy that TASMAC does not officially release Diwali sales figures; this information has been gathered through various sources.

Some salesmen attribute this decline in sales to glitches in POS (Point of Sale) machines and confusion surrounding the 'buy-back' scheme. On the other hand, some employees stated that liquor sales had been unusually high for the past week, with shops witnessing more crowds than usual. A salesman from the T. Nagar area said, "Due to problems related to the buy-back scheme, people were worried about whether shops would remain open, so many started stocking up for the festival from last week itself."

Regarding the POS machine issues, a senior TASMAC official stated that these glitches would be resolved soon. He added that 1,000 new POS machines would soon be deployed across outlets in the state and installed wherever necessary. Meanwhile, Prohibition and Excise Minister K. Vignesh questioned the POS machine problem, asking, "POS machines were operational until November 1, so what happened after that?"

Minister Vignesh further informed that 44 salesmen were suspended between November 1 and November 5 for violating MRP (Maximum Retail Price) rules. He stated that more complaints regarding such violations have been received and strict action will be taken against them as well.

According to TASMAC sources, the corporation has collected approximately ₹38 crore through the 'Environment Protection Cess'. From November 1, 2026, an environment and social welfare cess of ₹10 was imposed on liquor sales to facilitate the buy-back of empty bottles, which was included in the MRP.

According to figures up to July 2026, TASMAC has 4,048 retail vending shops and a total of 22,877 employees, including 6,473 supervisors, 14,379 salespersons, and 2,025 assistant salespersons. For the year 2025-2026, TASMAC earned a revenue of ₹50,845 crore.