1. Trading offer & request

At this moment there is one OFFER for 2000 tons of malt on the trading portal www.e-malt.com

• Offer for 1-2000 mtons of malt, 6RW Esterel, crop 2003, Bulk, delivery 1/1/2004 - 30/6/2004, at EUR 252.00/mton, FOB Antwerp. (to see and make a bid to the malt offer, please click here to view code MF0807P1521)
  
  

 Top Industry News 

More news is available on site www.e-malt.com  

• Eduard Janota, the Czech Republic's deputy finance minister, announced that the proposed privatisation of the state-owned brewer, Budejovicky Budvar (BB), “would not go ahead for another two years” ...more info



• The Danish brewing giant Carlsberg Breweries A/S might risk losing its position in the Thai market altogether if it will not clarify the dispute with its partner in Thailand or find a new joint venture partner ...more info



• The Belgian brewing force, Interbrew, reported on July 4 that it intends to increase prices of its German beer portfolio. The company attributes the price increase to the effects of new German bottling laws and ...more info



• Heineken would like to expand on the Russian market and would look at acquisitions but not at any price. "Russia is an interesting market ... perhaps it is better to launch a brand as a greenfield project there," said Heineken’s CEO, Ruys, since April 2002 ...more info



• The largest brewery in Europe, Scottish & Newcastle, after a review of its supply chain operations, has expressed its concern over its partnership with Hays. Hays has worked with S&N on its beer transportation business for ...more info




2. Brewery News

Chile's leading brewer CCU announced on July 7 a 7.8 % rise in second-quarter sales by volume compared with the same period in 2002, according to Reuters. CCU, controlled by Chile's Quinenco and Heineken NV of the Netherlands, sold 2.096 million hectoliters in the quarter, of which 1.712 million hl were produced in Chile and 383,780 in Argentina, the company said in a statement. It noted the strongest volume increases in its Argentine beer volumes and in nectars in Chile. In the first six months of 2003, CCU's sales volume also grew 7.8 % to 5.165 million hectoliters. The company will release its second-quarter financial results by the second week of August. CCU also produces wine, soft drinks, nectar fruit juices and mineral water and recently began marketing pisco, Chile's national liquor.

Netherlands’ brewing conglomerate, Heineken, plans to use the Egyptian barley drink Fayrouz as an insturment to enter Muslim markets either in the east or among immigrant populations in west Europe, Thony Ruys, Heineken's chief executive said on July 4, 2003, according to Reuters. "First we are learning from the experiences in Egypt and then we can go for a bigger launch," he told journalists. “The product, Fayrouz, could be sold in the Indian market as well as to the large Muslim communities in the Netherlands, France, Britain and Germany.” "Those are large communities and if we come with a serious product, I am sure this will appeal to them," Ruys said. Fayrouz is a brand of Egyptian brewer ABC that Heineken bought last year. The fruit-flavored beverage, Fayrouz, is already popular in Egypt and has been certified halal by Al Azhar, a leading Sunni Islam religious institution, the British Broadcasting Corp. reports. No alcohol is produced during Fayrouz manufacture -- unlike other non-alcoholic beers -- making it suitable for observant Muslims...more info

3. Malt News

The Soufflet Group announced on July 8 it has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Baltic Beverages Holding (B.B.H.) concerning the take-over of the Slavuta Maltings in Ukraine. The Slavuta Maltings are the major Ukrainian maltings, with a production capacity of 70.000 tons/annum, said Soufflet. B.B.H. is the major Brewery in Eastern Europe, with a total beer production as of today of 23 million hl. B.B.H. owns breweries in the Baltic States, Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan. B.B.H., who acquired the Slavuta Maltings in 1999, has decided to concentrate its efforts on the Brewing industry. With this operation, the Soufflet Group, the world's largest maltster, continues its development in Eastern Europe, which started in 1998. Soufflet Maltings will be producing in eight countries: France, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. With this acquisition, the Soufflet Group malting capacity reaches 1.355.000 tons...more info

June was a month of lively activity in the EU malt market. South Africa was the first large buyer, booking about 40.000 tons from the EU at prices equivalent to EUR 265,-/270,- FOB in bulk seaport. Only one Japanese brewery came into the market for part of its demand, and paid around EUR 280,- to 290,- FOB in bulk in container.

The Russian malting group “Russky solod”, controlled by Avangard Bank, has launched its first malting plant near Moscow, Russian Beer Union reported. By the end of 2004 Avangard plans to launch two more malting plants: in Voronezh and Orlovsk regions. The Voronezh maltery is already under construction. Avangard Bank will invest about US$100 million in the project. Each malting plants are to have a production capacity of 100,000 tons. In 2002 Russian brewers used more than 1 million tons of malt, and imported 70%. By 2005 Avangard plans to sell successfully “Russky solod”. According to Avangard in two years its plants will be appreciated at US$150-200 millions. However Avangard didn’t revealed the breweries “Russky solod” has agreements with. Meanwhile the situation of the malt market will change soon, said the Kompania journal. The main Russian brewers – Baltika, SUN Interbrew, Ochakovo and Krasny Vostok - which brew 50% of beer in Russia, have their own malting plants or build new in order to use only their own malt in two or three years.

4. Barley News

USDA World Barley Balance of June 11, 2003

Barley Stocks have remained fairly stable over the past years:



(in 1.000 tons)	2000/2001	2001/2002	2002/2003	2003/2004
Production	133,257	142,109	132,742	139,535
Consumption	134,828	135,810	132,874	143,704
World Trade	16,898	17,246	15,515	15,755
Ending Stocks	22,416	28,715	28,583	24,414



Grain handler AusBulk says moves to deregulate South Australia's barley export market will have little impact on its malted barley operations, ABC West Coast SA reported. The State Government has released a review of export arrangements for barley, which recommends granting licences to other companies, if they can demonstrate they can do a better job than the Australian Barley Board (ABB). Ausbulk's executive manager of corporate relations, David Thomas, says the company's main concern is whether its surplus barley stocks can be sold back to the ABB. He says even if the review's recommendations become legislation, the malted barley industry will not be affected. "Our expansion plans have been there for quite a while, and the fact that we've invested in the malt industry is completely unrelated to the Barley Marketing Act because there are no impediments to export of malted barley," he said. "From our perspective, we see that there's better value from our company being involved in that type of activity than being involved in export of the raw cereal."