The largest Czech brewer, Plzensky Prazdroj, said on January 27 that strong exports spurred the maker of the world-renowned lager Pilsner Urquell to record output in 2002. Prazdroj, a unit of the world's second-largest brewing group, SAB Miller, said in a statement that it produced 9.0 million hectolitres of beer last year, an annual increase of 13 percent.
It was the third consecutive rise in output and was facilitated mainly by a 36-percent jump in exports to 1.26 million hl. The brewer's main export is Pilsner Urquell, though it said there was rising demand for other brands, mainly in neighboring Slovakia. Financial results will be available after the end of March, when the firm's fiscal year ends.

28 January, 2003