Imported malt beer is expected by USDA to amount to US$3.5 billion in 2006 compared to November forecast of $3.3 billion. These new forecasts are based on early indications of import growth and on historical seasonal patterns.

In 2005 fiscal year imported malt beer amounted US$ 2.99 billion. During October-December 2005 malt beer imports amounted US$ 0.744 billion compared to US$ 0.641 billion in October-December 2004.

Beer imports are sensitive to weather changes, USDA commented. At a time when large U.S. brewers have sought to counteract the slide in domestic beer sales by cutting prices, younger consumers and aging baby boomers continue to increase purchases of premium-priced beer, wine, and spirits.

USDA said that fiscal 2006 agricultural imports are raised to a record $63.5 billion, up 10 percent from last year, continuing the accelerated pace which began in 2003. Strong demand for fresh fruits and vegetables, sugar, cocoa, coffee, beer, and wine drive imports. Steady gains for many other products are also expected. The EU-25, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and Brazil remain the top suppliers.

Companies from Albania and Kosova were very active during the last tender organized by the Kosova Trust Agency (KTA) for the sale of the Beer factory “Birra Peja” and Grand Hotel, the KTA announced, AENews communicated on February 16.

Albanian company Birra Malto sh.a., owner of the Birra Tirana brand (Tirana Beer), offered EUR 5.2 million for the Birra Peja factory. The offer included also a commitment to invest another EUR 12 million in the future.

Birra Tirana won the tender together with the Kosovar businessman, Mr. Ekrem Lluka, whom, in cooperation with his staff and managers of the Birra Peja factory, had offered EUR 3.5 million. These are preliminary results, however. The final decision will be made at a latter time.

According to the KTA announcement, the Albanian businessman Mr. Shyqyri Duraku, president of the oil company Eurodrini, offered EUR 6 million as well as committed to invest another EUR 22 million for Hotel Grand which is Kosova’s capital most important hotel.

Germany: German malt production dropped from 2.028 million tonnes in 2003/04 to 1.940 million tonnes in 2004/05. In January/ October 2005 production was 1.68 million tonnes, converted to a full calendar year it would be 1.8 million tonnes.

France: French malt production as per ONIC was 570,000 tonnes in July/November 2005. Forecast for the crop year is 1.320 million tonnes, only 25,000 tonnes less than in 2004/05.

U.K.: Defra reports malt production of 536,000 tonnes during July 1 – November 26, 2005. Estimate for the crop year is 1.375 million tonnes, down 3 % from 2004/05, but almost 10 % from the 2000/2005 average.

Spring barley plantings were foreseen by analysts to be down in all essential malting barley countries in 2006, but that did not take into account possible changes, when fields of destroyed winter grains must be replanted:

(In thousand ha, last year in brackets):
France 530 (565); Denmark 550 (569); Germany 560 (606); Sweden 340 (369); U.K. 530 (558); Czech Republic 370 (397).

Supplies should still be sufficient in 2006, provided a normal planting and growing season. But farmers become more disenchanted every year with their malting barley sales, and the industry is certainly running a risk that the price spiral may turn around one day from the traditional pressure of "supermarket chains to brewers to maltsters to farmers" into the opposite direction.