The brewing industry in Serbia, which produced more than 5.1 million hectoliters of beer in 2020, had a decline of 7.19 percent, compared to the year before, a decline in exports of 10.05 percent, and a decline in beer consumption of 5.55 percent, the Association of Serbian Brewers announced today.
The restriction on the work of catering facilities, as well as the ban on organizing music and other events, due to the pandemic, was a big blow to the industry and is a key factor in the decline last year, which continued in the first half of this year.
All that resulted in the total state income from the brewing industry in Serbia being reduced by 15.49 percent, it is stated in the announcement.
It is reminded that Serbia is one of the largest exporters of beer to EU member states, after Great Britain and Mexico, and that exports, directed to the countries of the region, but also to EU members, amounted to more than 1.4 million hectoliters, while imports were more than 380,000 hectoliters (mostly from EU countries).
Beer consumption in Serbia dropped to 62 liters per capita in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, so that consumption was below the European average, the statement said.
It is also stated that Eurostat published a survey related to the production, export, import and consumption of beer in 2020 in the EU, which showed that, compared to 2019, beer production in the EU was lower by eight percent, while non-alcoholic beer production remained stable.
The total production of beer in the EU in 2020 was 74 liters per capita.
During 2020, about 32 billion liters of beer containing alcohol were produced in the EU, as well as 1.4 billion liters of beer whose percentage of alcohol is less than 0.5 percent or does not contain it at all.
Eurostat research also showed that Germany was the largest beer producer in the EU in 2020, the Netherlands the largest exporter, France the largest importer, and that the largest growth in production was recorded in Slovakia, and the largest decline in Italy, BiF reports.
