CHENNAI – The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) recorded robust liquor sales totalling ₹441.38 crore over the two-day Diwali period, November 7 and 8. This impressive turnover reflects substantial pre-festival purchases and Diwali-day sales across the state's extensive retail network.
The two-day sales figure far exceeded Tasmac's typical daily average of approximately ₹165.60 crore, underscoring the significant demand during the festive season. On Saturday, November 7, sales reached ₹234.75 crore, followed by ₹206.63 crore on Sunday, Diwali day.
Regional Sales Performance
The Tiruchi region emerged as the highest-selling zone, with sales of ₹98.97 crore during the two days. It outpaced Chennai, which registered ₹95.85 crore in sales. Other top-performing regions included Madurai with ₹88.38 crore, Salem with ₹87.52 crore, and Coimbatore at ₹70.66 crore. Notably, Tiruchi displaced Madurai, which had historically led the state in liquor sales.
Comparison to Previous Year
Despite the high absolute figures, the two-day sales total for 2026 was lower than the corresponding Deepavali period in 2025. Last year, the festival fell on a Monday, creating a three-day sales window from October 18–20, during which Tasmac recorded a higher figure of ₹789.85 crore. Officials attributed this difference primarily to the shorter sales window in 2026, which covered only two days compared to three in the previous year.
Bottle-Refund Scheme Challenges
The strong sales occurred amidst reports that Tasmac workers across Tamil Nadu had refused to implement the state's empty-bottle collection scheme. This scheme, designed to provide refunds to consumers and generate cess revenue, has faced implementation hurdles. Provisional estimates suggested the stalled bottle refunds could have yielded about ₹38 crore in cess revenue, highlighting an ongoing point of contention for the corporation.
Outlook for Festival Sales
With November 9 also being a government holiday, officials anticipated that the overall Diwali-period sales would climb further. Projections suggested that the total festival-season turnover could exceed ₹633 crore once the additional day's sales were factored in. These figures underscore Tasmac's considerable role in Tamil Nadu's festive economy, even as it navigates operational issues like bottle buybacks and point-of-sale machine glitches during peak periods.