1. Trading offer & request

At this moment there are two OFFERS for 2500 tons of malt on the trading portal www.e-malt.com

• Offer for 100-1500 mtons of malt, 2RS Scarlet, crop 2002, bulk, delivery 1/6/2003 - 31/8/2003, at EUR 278.50 /mton, FOB Antwerp. (to see and make a bid to the malt offer, please click here to view code MF0605P1406)
  
  
• Offer for 1000 mtons of malt, 6RW Esterel, crop 2002, bulk, delivery 1/6/2003 - 30/9/2003, at EUR 268.00 /mton, FOB Antwerp. (to see and make a bid to the malt offer, please click here to view code MF0605P1408)
  
  

 Top Industry News 

• Anheuser-Busch, Inc., announced on May 1, 2003 ongoing plans for a major modernization and redesign of the company's Williamsburg brewery ... Click here
  
  
• The US beer giant Adolph Coors Company announced on April 29 2003 lower net income and earnings per share for the first quarter of 2003 ... Click here
  
  
• The Dutch brewing force, Heineken, announced on May 2, 2003 that it had signed an agreement with representatives of the shareholders of Getränke-Beteiligungs-AG Click here
  
  
• EU export licence bookings from July 1, 2002 until April 22, 2003, were 1.625 million tons versus 1.850 last year ... Click here
  
  
• Germany: There are 640 breweries in Bavaria (1275 in all the country), producing 23 million hl of beer ... Click here
  
  
• Danish spring barley acreage is back to normal after large plantings of winter grains. In France the larger acreage Click here
  
  
• Spring weather favoured grain vegetation in the Iberian Peninsula. In the rest of Western Europe it created a lot of ... Click here
  
  

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

• The Austrian brewer and juice maker BBAG, posted 16.2% rise of its operating incomes for 2002, up to EUR 79.5 million ...more info



• As higher taxes on alcohol came into effect, the price of happoshu, the Japanese low-malt beer, has risen in many retailers this week ...more info



• The US brewer Anheuser-Busch repurchased 13 million shares of its common stock for $609.5 million in the first quarter ...more info



• SABMiller, a merger between Miller Brewing and South African Breweries realised last year, will confirm the acquisition of the Italian brewer Peroni ...more info



• The practices of Molson and Labatt Brewing "did not substantially lessen or prevent competition" in Quebec's beer industry ...more info



• Beer sales in Germany registered a decline of 9.1% in the first quarter of 2003, against the same period last year ...more info



• The Belgian brewer, Interbrew, announced that the General Shareholders Meeting of 29 April, 2003 had approved the annual accounts 2002 ...more info



• Fomento Economico Mexicano, S.A. de C.V. (FEMSA), the Mexican drinks company, the Leader in Latin Beverages, has posted a 4.7% rise of its consolidated total revenues ...more info



• Belgian brewing force, Interbrew, is forecasting much better results for the second quarter of the year ...more info



• Tsingtao Brewery, the Chinese largest brewer, announced that the outbreak of the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) virus would hurt second quarter outcome ...more info




2. Brewery News

Anheuser-Busch, Inc., announced on May 1, 2003 ongoing plans for a major modernization and redesign of the company's Williamsburg brewery. The $200 million project will enable the brewery to combine cutting-edge technology with time-honored brewing processes to continue to meet its current and future production needs. The project will be completed in 2005. Gov. Mark Warner was on site for the announcement to speak to the economic benefits of the project. The Anheuser-Busch Williamsburg brewery purchases materials and commodities totalling more than $332 million per year from Virginia businesses and sells products directly to 17 Virginia Anheuser-Busch wholesalers who collectively employ another 1,000 Virginians. "I am pleased that Anheuser-Busch has committed $200 million to modernize the Williamsburg brewery," said Gov. Warner. "Virginia works hard to create an environment in which businesses can succeed, employ our citizens and strengthen the local economic base. We are grateful and proud that the Williamsburg brewery has been a corporate citizen for more than 30 years and continues to grow. Anheuser-Busch is a major employer and its continued presence here in James City County is important," Warner added...more info

The US beer giant Adolph Coors Company announced on April 29 2003 lower net income and earnings per share for the first quarter of 2003 on higher consolidated net sales, compared to the same period a year ago. For the 13-week quarter ended March 30, 2003, the company's net sales increased 11.0% from the first quarter 2002. First quarter 2003 sales volume increased 6.3% compared to a year ago. Higher net sales and volume in the quarter were primarily attributable to an additional five weeks of results this year from the Coors Brewers Limited (CBL) business, which was purchased on Feb. 2, 2002. The company reported net income of $0.8 million, or $0.02 per share, for the 2003 first quarter, down from net income of $27.2 million in the first quarter of 2002. Peter H. Coors, company chairman, said, "Although consumer demand for our brands was encouraging on both sides of the Atlantic during the first quarter of 2003, our financial results for the quarter reflect challenges in several key areas of our business. Our main challenges were widely anticipated, including higher interest and pension expense, a seasonal loss for the first five weeks of the year in our U.K. business, and reduced profits related to lower Americas shipments to wholesalers in the first quarter...more info

The Dutch brewing force, Heineken, announced on May 2, 2003 that it had signed an agreement with representatives of the shareholders of Getränke-Beteiligungs-AG ('GeBAG') to be in a position to acquire a majority stake in BBAG Österreichische Brau-Beteiligungs-Aktiengesellschaft ('BBAG'), the leading Austria based brewery group. Heineken will acquire up to 100%, the company said in a press release, but not less than 75%, of the shares in GeBAG, which itself holds 68.7 % of BBAG's share capital. GeBAG's shareholders will be offered a total consideration of EURO 769 million for 100% of GeBAG. The offer is open for six weeks and closes on 13 June 2003. Closing of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals. Chairman of the Executive Board of Heineken N.V., Thony Ruys stated: "Together with BBAG we create the leading brewer in Central Europe. Both our operations and brand portfolios make a perfect match. Moreover, I believe the cultural fit between the management of our two companies is very powerful. The new Brau Union will combine the local heritage and know-how of our Austrian partner and their wealth of experience in the region and Heineken's expertise as the international brewer. I'm looking forward to having Karl Büche as fellow member of the Executive Board of Heineken N.V...more info

3. Malt News

EU export licence bookings from July 1, 2002 until April 22, 2003, were 1.625 million tons versus 1.850 last year. Totals for the crop year may just reach 2 million tons, a major disappointment for the EU malting industry.

EU malt export licence fixations:



(in tons)	2000 - 2001	2001 - 2002	July 01, 2002 - April 22, 2003
France	523,190	701,134	538,172
Germany	305,980	468,314	334,541
Belgium	277,584	296,368	242,505
U.K.	254,793	350,621	236,806
Denmark	52,326	96,812	68,456
Finland	65,550	91,890	67,066
Netherlands	54,835	51,310	50,113
Sweden	50,847	101,000	43,880
Ireland	26,003	35,145	28,740
Austria	4,850	8,840	7,500
Spain	3,000	2,400	5,640
Greece	1,800	1,744	1,306
Portugal	340	221	-
Italy	-	-	2
Total:	1,621,098	2,205,799	1,624,727





	Total Wheat malt, tons
Total 2000/2001	4,686
Total 2001/2002	12,805
July 01/02 – April 22/03	24,062
	Total Roasted malt, tons
Total 2000/2001	23,967
Total 2001/2002	23,480
July 01/02 – April 22/03	18,176



Germany: There are 640 breweries in Bavaria (1275 in all the country), producing 23 million hl of beer (out of 108 in Germany). The Bavarian brewery uses 375 thousand tons of malt per year, including 75 thousand tons of wheat malt.

4. Barley News

Danish spring barley acreage is back to normal after large plantings of winter grains. In France the larger acreage of spring barley will replace the loss of 100.000 Ha winter-damaged Esterel. Larger plantings in U.K. are also making up for smaller seedings in autumn, but total acreage shows a plus. Also Germany planted more barley, both winter and spring. However, final acreage figures will probably be revised due to losses during the long and cold winter. Spain with its huge acreage is usually neither an exporter nor an importer of malting barley, but needs to import additional feed barley for its animal sector.

Spring weather favoured grain vegetation in the Iberian Peninsula. In the rest of Western Europe it created a lot of concern until the weekend of Easter. March and the first two decades of April were very dry. Temperatures in March were cold with frost at night. April turned very warm for the time of the year, but night frosts continued in many parts. Since the Easter weekend beneficial rains improved the look of the crops very much. Exceptions were South Germany, Austria and their neighbours Czech Rep., Slovakia and Hungary, where it remained too dry till the end of the month.