Beer consumption in Germany recovered in the first half of the year after covid-19, but the threat of a Russian gas supply cut now hangs over the brewerswho fear a stoppage of production.
“Without gas, the supermarket shelves will be empty,” the brewers’ federation, which relies heavily on this fossil fuel for its production, warned on Monday.
The food industry is, after the chemical industry, the sector that uses the most gasespecially during the malting process, the first stage in the production of alcoholic beverages.
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After the drastic drop in consumption during the health crisis, the demand for beer has picked up again: Germans drank 3.6 billion liters between January and June, an increase of 6.4% in one year. But exports fell by 19%, which meant a decrease in sales of the sector of 3.8%, according to the Federal Institute of Statistics Destatis.
Compared to 2019, before the impact of the pandemic, German brewers sold 5.5% less in the first half. “The brewing industry is still working in crisis mode,” warns Holger Eichele, president of the brewers’ association.
Currently it is “impossible” to replace gas as the main source of energy and the extent of the energy shock “cannot yet be estimated”Add.
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Several breweries have already increased their prices in response to higher production costs, before the war in Ukraine. Since the Russian invasion, the prices of various raw materials, starting with cereals, have risen again. Suppliers to breweries, whose production also relies on gas, are also suffering, starting with glass bottle makers.
AFP
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