Perno Ricard, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Heineken and Carlsberg were among the alcohol companies part of a European lobby requesting the Centre for an exemption from from a 10% import duty imposed on glas bottles and cans, according to a Reuters report on Thursday.
The lobby, named 'The Federation of European Businesses in India' reached out to the government on April 2 saying that they were facing a supply crunch on glass bottles and cans as local manufacturers were unable to work at peak efficiency.
The lobby sent a letter that drew attention to the problems India's alcohol market (worth $65 billion) is facing, which is facing ramping costs with regards to glass bottles, cartons and labels due to the ongoing war in the Middle East. Passing this expense on to consumers is challenging in India due to retail price changes need government approval in two-thirds of India's states.
The alcohol industry is also seeing a 15% uptick in expenses owing to higher raw material prices such as cartons and adhesives. The industry is set to grow 8% a year until 2033, according to Coherent Market Insights data sited by Reuters.
The Brewers Association of India stated that beer firms have already requested states to increases prices to weather these higher costs.
Indian liquor companies are considering imports from Southeast Asian countries due to concerns over potential shortages of cans and bottles starting May, according to a global liquor industry source cited by Reuters.
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