Panaji: A meeting between the Goa deposit refund scheme administration committee and liquor companies failed to arrive at a consensus, with each stakeholder reporting conflicting outcomes.While the DRS committee claimed that breweries agreed to comply with the April deadline, the liquor industry demanded that the implementation be deferred to Oct.The Brewers Association of India (BAI), the International Spirits and Wines Association of India (Iswai), and the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC) said there are too many gaps in the proposed DRS framework, making the April target impossible to meet.The three associations account for most of the alcohol sold in Goa. Their representatives held a meeting on Feb 18 with the chairperson of the Goa DRS administration committee, Anthony De Sa, additional commissioner of excise, Gaurish Sankhwalkar, and the DRS system operator, Recykal. The liquor industry urged govt to form a taskforce consisting of industry representatives to sort out issues.To address implementation challenges, De Sa suggested that the Breweries Association of India nominate three industry representatives to work directly with Recykal.“By having associations and the system operator working together, we are creating a strategy that is both ambitious and practical. The joint effort will focus on critical operational areas, including the integration of QR codes on packaging to enable seamless identification and tracking of containers, along with resolving other logistical and compliance issues,” said De Sa.However, the industry said that if govt went ahead with the April 1 deadline, liquor production and supply would be disrupted and cause a drop in excise revenue. “Beer production lines run at very high speeds and require substantial reconfiguration for any change. With the industry entering its peak summer season, breweries have very limited operational bandwidth to experiment,” said director general, Brewers Association of India, Vinod Giri.De Sa also urged all manufacturers to register under the scheme before Feb 28 to ensure a smooth transition.
