This Kerala farmer hopes to break the state liquor policy with his wine | Onmanorama Specials

At 83, Sebastian P Augustine has spent more than two decades turning a crisis on his farm into Coco Vino, a tender coconut wine, which he patented in 2004. It took another 18 years for Kerala to introduce a policy allowing farmers to make wine from agricultural produce.

In 2024, Augustine became one of the first farmers in Kerala to secure a licence to make and sell wine. Sales are restricted to the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (Bevco), the state’s liquor retail monopoly. Augustine says farmer-made wine could lose its mojo on Bevco shelves because of the corporation’s crippling commission and the state government’s exorbitant taxes.

But Augustine has bigger plans. He wants farm wineries to become more than a place of production. He sees them as a centrepiece of farm tourism, where visitors can experience the farm, taste his wine and take some home.

He says Kerala needs to further ease its policy to give farmer-made products more room to reach visitors directly. For that, Kerala must ease its liquor policy, and taxes too.