Lithuanian breweries exported 9,140 hl of beer in the first 8 months of 2006, down by 12.4 pct year-on-year, Baltic Business News released September 08.

The Association of Breweries said the Kalnapilio-Tauro Grupë was the leading exporter during the period, selling 39,000 hl of beer abroad.

Siauliai-based Gubernija brewer took the second position with 32,500 hl beer exports over the January-August period, as compared with 25,100 hl in the same period of 2005.

Last year’s exports leader, Svyturys-Utenos Alus reduced exports by a factor of 2.4 karto – from 45,800 hl in the first 8 months of 2005 to 18,800 hl in the 8-month period of 2006.

The association also said that Kaunas’ Ragutis exported 300 hl in the first 8 months of this year, as compared with 3,200 hl in 2005, while respective figures of Rinkuskiai were 800 hl and 300 hl of beer.

Aggregated exports of beer, low-malt happoshu and beer-like alcoholic beverages (third-beer) stopped falling and even saw a small increase of 0.6% in August 2006, mostly on the back of hot weather which prevailed during the last month of the summer, a report cited September 12 a survey of Japan’s five main brewers, Kirin, Suntory, Asahi, Sapporo and Orion.

Beer shipments decreased by 0.8%, while Happoshu exports fell steadily by 3.8% year-on-year. The general increase was driven by a 12% boost in exports of beer-like alcoholic beverages.

A year ago the EU malt industry was confronted with an overcapacity of more than 1 million t of malt. Sooner than expected U.K., German and French maltsters shut down several hundred thousand tons of capacities permanently, further closures in Ireland, Spain, Romania and Slovakia went almost unnoticed, analysts released September 01.

During winter of 2005/06 German and U.K. maltsters produced less malt than their capacities. The insolvency of Alba Domu and Weissheimer reduced production in Hungary and Germany by 100,000 tons each. All this and this past summer's beer boom created a tight malt market for the first time in years. It allowed maltsters to sell malt on basis of correct calculations.

According to the official statistics, as of September, 1, 2006, Ukrainian farmers harvested 11.75 mln tonnes of barley, up 25.6% from the previous year, AgriMarket.Info cited State Statistics Committee of Ukraine.

This crop was milled from 5.13 mln ha area (against 4.29 mln ha in 2005). The average yield totals 2.29 tonnes per hectare, up 0.11 tonnes per hectare as compared to the index of 2005.

Gross barley harvest increased owing to spring sorts. Thus, harvest of spring barley increased by 29% in comparison with 2005, to 10.72 mln tonnes (yield is up 0.1 tonnes per hectare to 2.27 tonnes per hectare). At the same time winter barley harvest decreased by 2.3 % to 1.02 mln tonnes (average yield increased by 0.22 tonnes per hectare to 2.45 tonnes per hectare).

According to the data of State Statistics Committee, Ukrainian agrarians harvested 8.98 mln tonnes of barley (spring and winter) in clean weight.

According to H. Abildstrøm & Co. ApS report of September 10, one can exclude Sweden as malting barley exporter this year. Poor harvesting conditions in the south after drought damage has wiped out the malting barley surplus which would normally be exported and merchants will be struggling to cover domestic demand.

Nominal prices for January in Denmark and Sweden are now between €/ton 166 and 170.

There is too little precipitation and temperatures are too warm for the time of the year. Barley crop estimates have been reduced again, they range now between 5.0 and 7.0 million t, experts argued September 01. Unless rains arrive soon, it will be too late for a recovery of crops.

Markets have reacted in a strong way. Local feed barley markets paid the equivalent of US$/t 190.- FOB Victorian port. Reportedly large quantities of malting barley sold at a level of US$/t 200.- CIF China not very long ago, but now quotes are above US$/t 200.- FOB and 240.- CIF China. The Boards will reserve old crop barley for their own malthouses for the case of a crop calamity.