Carlsberg thinks Kazakh beer market in 2011 will be 2x that of 2009
ALMATY. Oct 21 (Interfax) - The Kazakh beer market next year will be double the size of last year's, Senior Vice President for Eastern Europe and Carlsberg Group Anton Artemyev thinks.
"Conditions are ripening for beer-market growth. Kazakhstan will show growth [in 2011] of two times. We have seen a slump for the past two years," Artemyev told the press in Almaty on Thursday.
Per capita beer consumption in Kazakhstan in 34 liters per year, in Russia more than 60 liters, and in Europe 80-90 liters.
One factor that might interfere with Kazakh beer market growth, Artemyev said. Is the beer excise-rate increase of 92% planned to go into effect in January (60% increase for vodka).
"What happened in Russia, when they hiked the excise rate on beer 3-fold, but for vodka only by 10%? It led to a drop in the beer market, while vodka rose, although the announced goals of anti-alcohol policy were the reverse," Artemyev said.
"In Europe, the structure of alcohol consumption is this - 70%-80% beer and wine, weak alcohol, and 20% hard alcohol. With us, it's the reverse - 70%-80% is hard alcohol, and it is only 20% for wine and beer," he said.
According to the Kazah Tax Code, the beer excise rate now is 13 tenge per liter produced, for vodka - 100-250 tenge per liter.
Carlsberg has owned the Kazakh brewery Derbes since 2008.