Russia: Beer output and sales down 35% over last ten years

Russia�s beer output and sales over the last decade dropped by 35%, a representative of the Union of Russian Brewers was quoted as saying by RNS on April 5.

�Over the last ten years the industry has been undergoing numerous changes which affected, among others, the production volume. The current state of affairs cannot be called positive. There has been a drop of more than 35% over the last decade. In 2016, we had a certain hope for the downward trend to slow down, but 2017 continued that trend,� President of the Union�s Council Andrey Gubka said.

According to him, the main factor that led to a decline in volumes was the ban on PET packaging above 1.5 litres, but �obviously, there have been other factors, too�.

Along with a decline in output and sales, Gubka noted the increase in production costs, excises and retail prices for beer.

Brewers believe that the sector could stabilize only if the excises remain unchanged and the government does not implement new licensing regulations, or new PET packaging bans, he said.