OREANDA-NEWS. April 22, 2010. Belarus has started an antidumping investigation into imports of Ukrainian malt beer following a proposal voiced Belgospischeprom concern on behalf of Belarus’ brewing industries, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The statement quotes volumes of Belarus-bound imports of Ukrainian beer and the value thereof: in 2007 Ukraine supplied Belarus with 1.757 million dal of beer worth USD 7.360, 2008 – 4.237 million dal worth USD 17.763, 2009 – 4.277 million worth USD 16.594 million.

The average price of Obolon, Slavutich and Lvivske beer on Ukraine’s home market in October 2009 stood at USD0.875 per litre. Supplied on EХW terms, Ukraine-brewed beer was available at USD 0.42 per litre, and USD 0.381 per litre on DAF terms. In the meantime, the average value of beers imported to Belarus in 2009 stands at USD 0.58 per litre.

The dumping margin of malt beer export, according to Belarus’ breweries, totalled 11.5% in 2009. As a result of Ukraine’s dumping policy Belarus saw its malt beer sales drop 9.8 per cent in 2009, which pushed the rate of home-made beer overstocking by 17%.

The Foreign Ministry’s report says beer imports from countries other than Ukraine have so far produced no negative effect on the financial standing of Belarus’ breweries.