1. Trading offer & request

At this moment there is one OFFER for 2000 tons of malt on the trading portal www.e-malt.com

• Offer for 500-2000 mtons of malt, 2RS, crop 2002, bulk, delivery 1/6/2003 - 30/9/2003, at EUR 288.00 /mton, FOB Antwerp. (to see and make a bid to the malt offer, please click here to view code MF0204P1215)
  
  

 Top Industry News 

• Lithuanian brewing companies sold about 45.1 million litres of beer during the first three months of the year or 7.1% less... Click here
  
  
• Lion Nathan, the Australasian brewer, intends to manufacture and distribute the Japanese beer brand produced by Kirin... Click here
  
  
• Anheuser-Busch Cos., Inc., the world's largest brewer, and Tsingtao Brewery Co., Ltd., the largest brewer in China, announced... Click here
  
  
• Ukrainian non-alcoholic beer producer, Slavutich, sold about 34.9 million litres of beer in January-March 2003... Click here
  
  
• The Russian brewer “Krasny Vostok”, which is finishing building a brewing plant in Novosibirsk, announced about its intention ... Click here
  
  
• No export sales of malt of any importance had been registered during the past few months ... Click here
  
  
• Canada’s malting barley exports are projected to increase by 60% to just over 2 million tons annually by 2011-12 ... Click here
  
  
• Despite quite unfavorable weather conditions all over Ukraine, farmers are becoming more actively involved in spring fieldwork ... Click here
  
  
• It is assumed that a minus of 180 thousand ha of winter barley in the four major malting barley countries ... Click here
  
  
• In Denmark, after fall plantings of barley took place under favourable conditions ... Click here
  
  

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

• Efes, the Dutch brewer, will soon be able to open its new USD 16m brewery in Kazakhstan, Dow Jones reports ...more info



• Beer, for centuries Germany's favourite drink, is in trouble as the country's most famous beverage faces a double hangover from rising business costs ...more info



• Italian brewer, Peroni, has finally been put up for sale, following a long period of speculation that it might be on the market ...more info



• In U.K. barley planting is done in England and well advanced in Scotland. Spring barley acres will reach 620 thousand ha ...more info



• The fifth jubilee Moscow Beer Festival is to take place in July this year. Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov signed the relevant order ...more info



• Jamie Tomlinson, formerly Finance Director at Lion Nathan Australia has been appointed Chief Financial Officer, with effect from 1 May 2003 ...more info



• The brewers, Lion Nathan and Cooper's, are about to announce the settlement of their legal dispute over tradermarks, according to Australian reports ...more info




2. Brewery News

Lithuanian brewing companies sold about 45.1 million litres of beer during the first three months of the year or 7.1% less then for the same period last year. According to the Lithuanian Breweries Association, which joins eleven the biggest Lithuanian brewers, Lithuanian beer sales in March 2003 accounted 1.65 million litres, 8.7% less then in March last year. Leader of the Lithuanian beer market is the brewer Svyturys-Utenos alus, controlled by Scandinavian concern Baltic Beverages Holding. Svyturys-Utenos alus sold about 21.14 million litres of beer for January-March 2003, 13.3% less then for the same period last year. (24.38 million litres). The breweries Kalnapilis and Vilniaus Tauras, controlled by the Dutch company Brewery Group, are ranked next in beer sales. The two brewers sold about 11.16 million litres of beer for the third months of the year, 3.7% less versus the same period last year (11.59 million litres). Gubernija brewery increased beer sales by 1.5% up to 4.75 million litres. Lithuanian brewer Ragutis, controlled by Finish company Olvi, sold in the first quarter of the year about 4.12 million litres of beer, 3.5% more against the first quarter of 2002 year (3.98 million litres). This year brewery Svyturys-Utenos alus holds around 46.9% of Lithuanian beer market, Kalnapilis and Vilniaus Tauras – 24.7%, Gubernija – 10.5%, and Ragutis – 9.1%. The main export of Lithuanian beer is made to Latvia. Last year Lithuanian export to Latvia came to 90%.



Lithuanian Breweries	Beer sales, million litres				Beer export, million litres
	Jan-Mar 2002	Jan-Mar 2003	Growth or decline,%	Quota in Lithuanian beer market	Jan-Mar 2002	Jan-Mar 2003
Svyturys-Utenos alus	24.38	21.14	-13.3%	46.9%	0.02	0.26
Kalnapilis and Vilniaus Tauras	11.59	11.16	-3.7%	24.7%	0.37	0.38
Gubernija	4.68	4.75	15%	10.5%	0.08	0.23
Ragutis	3.98	4.12	3.5%	9.1%	0.58	0
Other Lithuanian brewers
Total Lithuanian beer market	48.55	45.1	-7.1%	100%	1.05	0.87



Lion Nathan, the Australasian brewer, intends to manufacture and distribute the Japanese beer brand produced by Kirin, Kirin Ichiban, in Australia. Kirin Ischiban will be available on the Australian market since May 1st 2003. The Japanese brand will be produced at the Malt Shovel Brewery, based in Sydney. "People's interest in Japanese food has been increasing due to an increasing consciousness about health. Kirin is now able to provide a fresh premium beer brewed locally. While total beer consumption is at a plateau in Australia and New Zealand, the premium beer category including imported brands has been growing steadily. Kirin will aim to expand the domain of their global beer business by launching this unique product mainly at the high-end market in metropolitan areas in Australia and New Zealand." the company said in a statement. Kirin and Lion Nathan China jointly launched "Kirin Seijun Beer" in Shanghai in January 2003.

Anheuser-Busch Cos., Inc., the world's largest brewer, and Tsingtao Brewery Co., Ltd., the largest brewer in China, announced on April 3, 2003 that they have closed their agreement under which Anheuser-Busch's ownership in Tsingtao will increase to 27% over a period of up to seven years. The agreement calls for Tsingtao to issue three convertible bonds valued at approximately US$ 182 million (HK$ 1.416 billion) to Anheuser-Busch. As the debt converts to equity over seven years, Anheuser-Busch's economic interest in Tsingtao will increase from its existing 4.5% to 27%, all held in the form of "H" common shares listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The agreement was signed in October 2002.

Ukrainian non-alcoholic beer producer, Slavutich, sold about 34.9 million litres of beer in January-March 2003, versus 31.7 million litres for the same period 2002. In March Slavutich sold 13.2 million litres of beer, 9% more then in March 2002 (12.1 million litres). Slavutich is one of the biggest Ukrainian breweries and is controlled by BBH. Slavutich sold about 193.7 million litres of beer in 2002.

3. Malt News

The Russian brewer “Krasny Vostok”, which is finishing building a brewing plant in Novosibirsk, announced about its intention to build a malting plant near the brewery by 2005 year. Moreover, the company thinks the new malting plant will be provided with local raw material and is ready to invest about US$25 million in growing local barley. No one succeeded to grow corresponding quality barley in Siberia before. Now Krasny Vostok buys about 80% of barley from Kursk Region at a price of 1000 RUB per ton. The own company grows 20% of barley in Tatarstan, where its three malting plants, with total production capacity of 105 thousand tons of malt per year, are placed. “Our program of agro-business development in Tatarstan supposes to invest about US$43 million till 2006 year,” Mr. Khairullin, the CEO of the company said in a statement...more info

No export sales of malt of any importance had been registered during the past few months in the EU. An import tender for 25.000 tons in Taiwan has been resultless, as Taiwanese authorities considered offering prices too high.

4. Barley News

Canada’s malting barley exports are projected to increase by 60% to just over 2 million tons annually by 2011-12, according to the Canadian Wheat Board’s (CWB) long-term grain trade forecast released on March 26. “The growth in malting barley demand is mainly driven by an anticipated increase in beer consumption in China,” said CWB’s Vice-President of Commodity Analysis and Risk Management, Brian White. “China has a very large young population and personal disposable income is growing. As a result, China’s total malting barley imports are projected to climb from an average of 1.9 million tonnes in the base period to 3.4 million tonnes in 2011”...more info

Despite quite unfavorable weather conditions all over Ukraine, farmers are becoming more actively involved in spring fieldwork. According to State Statistics Committee, as of April 1 spring grains were seeded on 79,300 hectares (1.5% of agriculture ministry's forecast for spring grains sown area), of which 60,500 ha were planted with spring barley (1.8% of the forecast).

It is assumed that a minus of 180 thousand ha of winter barley in the four major malting barley countries (France, Germany, Denmark and U.K.) will be compensated by an increase of 160 thousand ha of spring barley. Provided regular growing and harvest conditions, sufficient supplies for our malting industry plus an export surplus are assured.

In Denmark, after fall plantings of barley took place under favourable conditions, acres for spring barley are restricted to their normal size, i.e. they drop back by 90 thousand ha from last year’s 715 thousand ha.