(by Gianluca Pacella)
(ANSA) - ROME, Aug 3 - Italy, with an increase of 21%, is
Europe's leading country for the largest increase in beer
production in 2018, followed by Hungary (11%) and the Czech
Republic (6%).
Eurostat issued the data on the occasion of the International
Beer Day celebrations on August 2. According to the economic
report from the statistical office of the European Union, the
overall beer production in 2018 in the EU amounted to 39bn
liters, equal to 76 liters per capita. The annual Assobirra 2018
report confirmed the trend towards an Italian production
increase. According to the economic studies of brewers' and
malters' association, Italy, with a production of 16,410,000
hectoliters in 2018 (up 4.7%), is ranked 9th in Europe for
production volumes and 5th for the number of breweries.
Beer consumption increased by 3.2%, from 19.684.000 hectoliters
in 2017 to 20.319.000 in 2018. Per capita consumption increased
by 3.4% in 2018 and reached 33.6 liters. Among the EU member
countries, according to Eurostat's analysis, Germany ranks first
in the ranking of beer-producing states with a production of
8.3bn billion l(21% of total EU production) followed by United
Kingdom (4.5bn liters, 12%), Poland (4.0bn liters, 10%), Spain
(3.6bn liters, 9%), Netherlands (2.4bn liters, 6%) and Belgium
(2.4bn liters, 6%). The Netherlands, with 1.9bn liters of beer,
is the biggest beer exporter of beer among all EU member states,
ahead of Belgium and Germany (both 1.6bn liters), but behind
France and the United Kingdom.
The United States is the main destination for beer exports to
non-EU countries with 1bn liters in 2018 (29% of non-EU beer
exports) followed by China (453m liters, 13%), Russia (234m,
7%), Canada (217m, 6%), Korea (198m, 6%), Switzerland (101m,
3%), Australia (99m, 3%) and Taiwan (91m, 3%). Mexican beer is
the most imported product (250m liters, 52% of non-EU beer
imports in 2018), followed by Serbian beer (57m, 12%), American
beer (43m, 9%), Belarusian beer (23m, 5%), Ukrainian beer (19m,
4%), Chinese beer (17m, 4%), Russian beer (14m, 3%) and Thai
beer (10m, 2%). (ANSA).
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