Belarus plans to reduce the import of beer to 5% by 2015, Chairman of the Belgospishcheprom Concern Ivan Danchenko said in a session of the Council of Ministers Presidium on 10 August.
According to Ivan Danchenko, the major goals of the Belarus’ brewery development program through 2015 are to further develop the industry, boost the export and reduce the import to 5% from today’s 30%.
Ivan Danchenko offered to introduce licensing of the Ukrainian beer as one of the ways to cut the import of this product. The Belarusian side initiated an antidumping investigation against the Ukrainian beer, he said. "The Ukrainian side acknowledged that it dumped in order to avoid the introduction of an 11% antidumping duty. Several breweries of Ukraine introduced price limits on the supplies of beer to Belarus," he stated.
In his words, all the aforesaid gives Belarus solid grounds to license the import of Ukrainian beer. The relevant document has already been worked out.
Ivan Danchenko also offered to include beer into the Union State commodity balance in order to level off the import/export of beer to Russia. "Belarus and Russia often make up forecast balances on sugar, meat, eggs and milk within the Union State. There are proposals to introduce such measures towards beer. The move would help regulate the beer import from Russia," Ivan Danchenko said.
Besides, in an import-substituting effort, national breweries plan to develop the production of new beer descriptions. Among them are Obolon light, Oettinger and Zlaty Bazant dark.
