The Government of Himachal Pradesh on March 31, 2026, issued amendment in the Himachal Pradesh Sweets (Manufacture) Rules, 1988.
The following amendments have been stated:
• The sub-rule 4 (a) under rule 4 shall be substituted as under :-
a) The manufacturers/ non-manufacturers, who own liquor brands shall be allowed to get their brands of IMFL, Beer and Wine/Cider registered, manufactured and marketed in the State and also exported subject to proper bottling/lease agreement with the manufacturers located in the State.
b) The bottling of imported wine and bottling of Imported Wine manufactured from “all grains” in the wineries of State is allowed subject to condition that the manufacturers/ non-manufacturers, who own liquor brands shall be allowed to get their brands of Wine registered and bottled in the State for sale in H.P. and export subject to proper bottling tie-up/lease agreement with the manufacturers located in the State.
c) The wineries in the State are allowed to import “all fruits and flower juices” or fermented fruit juice (of any fruit) and fermented flower juice” for manufacturing, bottling and sale of wine and cider subject to condition that the manufacturers/ nonmanufacturers, who own liquor brands shall be allowed to get their brands of Wine and Cider registered and bottled in the State for sale in H.P. and export subject to proper bottling tie-up/lease agreement with the manufacturers located in the State.
The manufacturers/ non-manufacturers and the winery licensees of the State as mentioned above (a) (b) and (c) shall be allowed for bottling tie-up/lease agreement subject to following conditions :-
i) A person intending to enter into lease/bottling arrangement shall furnish ITR’s of at least three previous years along with the agreement. However, this condition shall not be applicable to the newly constituted company or individual intending to enter into such lease/bottling agreement.
ii) In case of lease agreement, a refundable security deposit in shape of a FDR pledged to the Collector of the Zone concerned amounting to Rs.10 lakh in case of winery and Rs. 25 lakh in case of other manufacturers needs to be furnished by the lessee. This security amount shall liable to be forfeited in case of any breach of conditions of license by the lessee.
iii) They have to furnish a declaration that no excise license previously held by them or the lease of a license in any State, has been canceled or suspended or denied to be renewed by the licensing authority owing to a breach of any of the provisions of the Act and/or Rules governing the grant of such license.
iv) The lessor and lessee shall be held jointly and severally responsible for the payment of all Government dues pertaining to lease agreement and subsequent dues accrued thereon. In case of default of payment of any kind of dues, the lessor shall be bound to indemnify the lessee. v) The fixed license fee shall be Rs. 2 lakh per bottling tie-up/agreement in case of wine.
• The sub-rule 3(A) under rule 3 shall be substituted as under :-
3(A) “The fixed fee for grant of letter of intent (LOI) for establishment of Winery and extension fee for LoI shall be as under :-
1. Fee for Grant of LoI for establishment of Winery Rs. 3 lakh
2. Extension of LoI for establishment of Winery Rs. 0.75 lakh
The first extension of any kind of LOI shall be allowed by the Commissioner of State Taxes and Excise and the second extension of LOI shall be allowed by the Administrative Secretary after the deposition of fixed license fee as mentioned above. In case, if the applicant is not able to establish his unit due to some unforeseen situation beyond his control within the above stipulated period then in such case such LOI shall only be extended by the Minister Incharge. There shall be no subsequent extension.
[Notification No. 7-1/2026-EXN-9600]
