Technical reequipment and state policy of import substitution led to rapid malt production growth in Belarus. The country turned from a purchaser into a market player and a supplier of inexpensive malt, which plays its part in the market of Eastern Europe.

As beer production in Belarus is relatively small, obviously there is no need to have many malthouses in order to supply enough raw materials for breweries. Malt is produced by large state company Belsolod with the designed capacity of 130 thousand tons. Three small malthouses under brewing companies also produce the material.

According to the official data, in 2012 Belsolod expanded malt output by …% to … thousand tons. That is, the company’s share in the total output volume comprised …%. Alongside with the malting barley supplied by other companies, the malthouse output 6.8 thousand tons of malt. By value Belsolod increased the production by …times to RUB…bln (or …mln dollars under the exchange rate of the National bank of Belarus).

Belsolod increased its supplies of malt to the domestic market in 2012 by …% as compared to 2011 to …thousand tons, the export declined by …% to … thousand tons.

Despite the accomplished modernization, Belsolod continues increasing its production potential. In 2012 Belsolod acquired the production space of Polotskoe pivo which includes moderate brewing and malting production. Previously the plant belonged to Krinitsa, which is currently about to be privatized by the sate. In our opinion, in 2012 the malthouse of the plant reduced its output from …to …thousand tons.

In 2013 Belsolod set in operation its own elevator for storing and processing of about 100 thousand tons of malting barley. 180 bln of Belorussian rubles was invested into this project. Prior to this Belsolod had to store the production at many bread processing plants.

Company Krinitsa is the second by volume producer of malt in Belarus. The biggest brewer in the republic owns a malthouse which produces … thousand tons. According to our estimation this capacity allows to meet the majority of the company’s needs for materials. Besides, the own production gives Krinitsa a possibility to pursue a more flexible purchasing policy and secure the control over the material quality. In 2012 the company increased the output by … % to …thousand tons. As we see, the malt production approaches its potential.

Belarus division of Heineken, namely Rechitsapivo in 2010 announced about the start of beer production from own malt at two of its plants. Striving to fully control all production chain, Heineken got concerned with growing contract barley, the volume of which according to company information covers the malthouse needs.

In order to do it late in 2010 the company completed reconstruction of the malthouse under the brewery Rechitsapivo (Gomel region). The reconstruction at Rechitsa malthouse included capacity expansion. According to the company information, its productivity grew minimally to … thousand tons per month and during the summer downtime it at the minimum halved.

State company Brestskoe pivo also has a malt production of its own with a capacity of … thousand tons. In 2011 the company produced about … thousand tons of malt, but in 2012 …