Czech Republic: Czech beer exports increased by about 24% last year, Czech breweries association posted on March 16. More than 14 % of the country's production of beer was exported last year, with Pilsner Urquel, Staropramen and Budweiser being the most exported Czech beers. The association said in a statement that Czech breweries exported 264 million liters (70 million gallons) of beer last year, about 24 % more than in 2003.

Germany is the biggest importer of Czech beers, with 89.8 million liters (24 million gallons) in 2004. 18 million liters (4.8 million gallons) of Czech beer has been exported to the United States in 2004.

The overall production of beer in the Czech Republic increased by 1.1 percent to 1.88 billion liters (500 million gallons) in 2004, while domestic consumption dropped by 30 million liters (8 million gallons).

16 March, 2005