“So far, Belarus has accounted for meager 5 percent of our total beer exports. However, we are determined to raise our exports to that country at least fivefold this year and believe that this task can actually be implemented,” Rolandas Viršilas, CEO of the brewery, told the daily.
The company would not sell its cheapest products in Belarus’ retail chains. “... there are enough people who buy foreign premium beer. We will target this particular group with Švyturys’ traditional collection. We have conducted polls, which have shown that the taste of our beer is very acceptable to the consumers in that country. What is left is to find possibilities to lower the price somewhat,” he said.
The Lithuanian beer makers do not have a level playing field when competing with Belarusian rivals in the neighboring market. Imports of beer to Lithuania from Belarus are not subject to any duty due to the agreements signed between Minsk and the European Union while Lithuanian beer is taxed heavily when exported to Belarus. According to Viršilas, the result is that the price of Lithuanian beer in Belarus exceeds that in Lithuania by around 30 percent.
