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On October 18th 2026, the Kerala government announced that a bakery had lost its license to sell horti wine in Chalakudy, Thrissur. The government has decided to suspend the sale and availability of the fruit based alcoholic beverages through bakeries, supermarkets and shopping malls.
These measures are in light of the state's liqour policy. The Kerala Horti wine license cancelation has also triggered the transfer of excise officials raising questions about the approval princess and the future of fruit based wine retail within the state.
Under the regulation introduced by the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, a bakery in Chalakudy began selling horti wine. The license had been issued after the United Democratic Front (UDF) administration assumed office in 2026.
Even the Excise minister questioned the reasoning behind the approval of such a grant, especially while the state's liquor policies were under review. Although possible that the permission being granted led the bakery to believe they were complying with the existing rules, he raised concerns about the sale of an alcoholic beverage in bakeries and supermarkets.
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Horti wine is a fruit-based alcoholic beverage that is made by fermenting fruits and other agricultural products. It aimed at creating a new market for farmers where they could sell locally grown pineapples, mangoes, bananas, and jackfruits.
The Kerala Small Scale Winery Rules were introduced in 2022, an effort to encourage fruit based wine production. An amendment to the Foreign Liquor Rules followed in 2024, which granted licenses to bakeries, supermarkets and shopping centres to sell the beverage.
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In November 2025 a business applied for a licence and received approval for the same license in June 2026. The bakery in Chalakudy, Thrissur saw a rise in sales as the public caught on to the unusual product sighting on the shelves of the bakery.
The bakery attracted scrutiny as due to the fact that the government was preparing changes to its alcohol policy, this incident created disagreements over whether or not the approval should have proceeded.
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Following the controversy, the Kerala Excise Department transferred Abkari Deputy Commissioner C. K. Anil Kumar, who handled the bakery's licence application. Deputy Commissioner V. Subash was appointed to the position.
The Kerala Excise Department appointed a new Deputy Commissioner to oversee the position. The Excise Minsiter also requested an urgent report explaining the approval, leading to officials being instructed to stop the sales of Horti wine through bakeries, supermarkets and shopping malls etc.
The government's immediate concerns are with regards to the sale of Horti wine in bakeries, supermarkets and other such establishments. This however does not indicate a statewide ban on the product. While the Chalakudy bakery’s license has been canceled, other such establishments have been asked to remain on hold. The sale for horti wine therefore seems to be constricted to specific retails channels rather than discontinuing the product completely, all production or sales through authorized outlets.
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The future of horti wine sales in Kerala depends on the UDF government's forthcoming liquor policy. The administration will decide whether the earlier provision allowing sales through general retail establishments should continue.
The sale of horti wine in Kerala now solely depends on how the new liquor policy by the UDF government is shaping up. The administration's decision will establish if the sales through general retail establishments should continue or not. Until then, any businesses seeking a similar license will face difficulties. Fruit wine producers and farmers must also look at the decision with keen interest as it waits to see if the new policy will keep a framework for commercial opportunities for them.
The information presented in this article has been sourced via multiple reports covering the cancelation of the horti wine licence, the suspension of sales, and the controversy surrounding the approval process. Additional references include the official Kerala Excise Department website for information on licensing requirements and the state's horti wine regulations.
This controversy has brought a larger agricultural initiative into conflict with the current government's approach to alcohol regulations. With the previous administrations emphasizing the commercial opportunities fruit-based alcoholic beverages provide and the UDF government questioning the implications of permitting the sale of alcoholic beverages through everyday retail outlets, all stakeholders involved will be waiting for the UDF government with keen interest, for now those sales remain suspended until further notice.
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