1. Trading offer & request

At this moment there are two OFFERS for 8000 tons of malt on the trading portal www.e-malt.com

• Offer for 1250-3000 mtons of malt, 2RS, crop 2002, Bulk, delivery 15/8/2003 - 30/9/2003, at EUR 281.00/mton, CIF St. Petersburg. (to see and make a bid to the malt offer, please click here to view code MF2507P1138)
  
  
• Offer for 1-5000 mtons of malt, 2RS Scarlet / Astoria, crop 2003, Bulk, delivery 1/11/2003 - 30/6/2004, at EUR 272.00/mton, FOB Antwerp. (to see and make a bid to the malt offer, please click here to view code MF2507P1142)
  
  

 Top Industry News 

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

• The Mexican brewer Femsa might report a 25% fall of its net profit for the second quarter, according to poll of analysts conducted by the Reuters news agency ...more info



• Brewer Adolph Coors Co. announced on July 24 that quarterly profits rose on a lower tax rate, overcoming sluggish U.S. beer sales that were hampered by poor weather in many parts of the country ...more info



• The municipal court in Vilnius gave the Czech brewer, Budejovicky Budvar, the rights to the exclusive use of the name Budweiser Lithuania. That was a further legal victory of the Czech brewer ...more info



• The brewers of Europe association will hold its third beer and health symposium on 15 October in Brussels. The symposium will present the latest scientific evidence on the benefits of moderate beer consumption ...more info



• Bulgarian breweries will import more barley, as the 2003 crop will not cover their needs. Bulgaria needs about 130 thousand tons of malting barley per year.




2. Brewery News

The world's leading brewery Anheuser-Busch Cos., Inc. announced on July 23 its net income increased 7.8% to US$633m for the second quarter. Second quarter and first six months earnings per share increased 13.6 % and 12.8 %, respectively, versus the same 2002 periods. “Anheuser-Busch has once again delivered strong, dependable growth in earnings per share and return on capital,” said Patrick Stokes, president and chief executive officer. “The second quarter represents the company’s 19th consecutive quarter of solid double-digit earnings per share growth.” Domestic revenue per barrel grew 3.5 % and 3.1 % in the second quarter and first six months of 2003, respectively, versus the same periods in 2002, reflecting the continued favorable beer industry pricing environment...more info

Belgian brewing industry showed in 2002 a slight increase in production and renewed export growth, Belgian Brewers reported at their General Meeting held on June 18, 2003. But the falling trend in domestic consumption, the pressure of competition and the generally poor economic climate mean that brewers are showing little enthusiasm about this and the next few years. Productivity must continue to rise, but that also has consequences for employment. The sector is under pressure. Exports rise again by 11.6%, up to a level of 42%. With an export figure of 42% of production, Belgium is definitely among the world leaders. On a timeline, exports really mushroomed between 1990 and 2002 from 19% to 42%. In 2002, Belgium had 118 firms brewing beer, a small increase compared with 2002, when 113 breweries were active...more info

By the end of July the leading Russian brewer, Baltika, will start its first shipment in Iran with Baltika N0 Non-alcoholic brand. The exclusive agreement has already been signed. By the end of 2004 year the company plans to increase sales to Iran up to 300 thousand dekalitres that will constitute 20% of all Iranian beer market. In Iran Baltika N0 Non-alcoholic will be sold at 30,000 Iranian Real (3-4 USD). In 2002 Baltika beer was presented on the markets of 28 countries. Last year the company expanded export in Great Britain, Germany, Greece, USA, Peru, Portugal, South Korea, Japan, Spain, African countries (Kongo and Guinea-Bissau), Armenia, Turkmenistan, and Georgia. In 2002 Baltika increased its beer sales in the countries, members of CIS, by 2.5 times, in the other foreign countries by 1.5 times, if compared to 2001.

3. Malt News

According to Russian media a first-rate malting plant in Russia is building now in Tula city by Baltika brewery. It is planned the plant will start producing malt by August 2004. Its production capacity is to be about 105 thousand tons of malt per year. The company is to invest US$32 million.

4. Barley News

The outlook for global feed barley prices has improved marginally and is supported by shrinking barley crops in the EU and Eastern Europe, according to The Canadian Wheat Board (CWB). Recent rains in Russia have been beneficial for production prospects in that country. New crop domestic values are lower due to the significant downturn in American corn prices and uncertainty about domestic feed demand due to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). New crop malting barley prices have recently stabilized due to the quality variability in the EU crop. The six-row crop in the United States remains in good shape, but dryness is a concern for the two-row crop in Montana. As well, dryness is still a concern in parts of Western Canada and Australia, and timely rains are needed. North American and Australian growing conditions and harvest weather will be key in determining future prices. Feed barley values are up $2 per tonne while malting barley values are $3 per tonne higher for two-row and $2 per tonne higher for six-row, the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) released on July 25.

Barley growers are hoping approval of their crop as a "heart healthy" food will boost domestic and foreign demand, Idaho Barley Commissioner Clark Kauffman told DTN at the US Grain Council's Board of Directors Meeting Monday. Barley production, especially malt, is up this year, as companies have contracted for more barley in North Dakota, Montana and Idaho. There are important new breweries, including one with a 6.5 million bushel capacity built by the Mexican brewer Modello (where the barley is processed into malt which is cheaper than grain to ship). But prices are bad, Kauffman said bluntly. The loan rate improved under the new farm bill, but it's still "no way to farm." One development for Idaho barley growers is that Revenue Assurance is available as a pilot program, and it's proved to be quite popular. The number one challenge in improving export prospects is getting a consistent supply, Kauffman explained. Production is expected to be around 137 million bushels this year, up 7% over last year, but that's down from 175 m bu five years ago.