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Alcohol Producers Need Delay
Russia’s alcohol producers that haven’t completely recovered from difficulties triggered by EGAIS introduction apprehend a new crisis. Starting from January 1, 2008, all of them will have to equip distilleries by devices processing or utilizing dregs, the main waste of distillery production. The aggregate losses of industry will be from $300 million to $350 million and not all distilleries will be able to install the equipment before the deadline.
The RF Act on State Control over Production and Turnover of Ethyl Alcohol, Alcohol and Alcohol Product requires from all distilleries of the country to completely process or utilize dregs starting from January 1, 2008. By this deadline, the enterprises will have to install special equipment worth between $1 million and $2 million. According to National Alcohol Association President Pavel Shapkin, the industry will lose from $300 million to $350 million on aggregate as a result.
So, today’s concern of alcohol producers it to shelve the new rules at least till January 1, 2009. In the State Duma, the lobbying campaign is at full blast now. Since August 1, a few lawmakers of lower house of Russia’s parliament have simultaneously submitted the bills advocating the delay. The given reasons range from potential collapse of a half of distilleries producing on aggregate 12 million decaliters to 13 million decaliters of alcohol (25 percent of Russia’s output) to the surge in alcohol prices and growth of illegal production.
Distillery dregs consist of water by 92 percent to 94 percent. In time of production, roughly a third of nutritive substance of raw material (but for sugar and starch) is transformed into dregs, which accumulate proteins (3.5 percent), fat (1.2 percent), cellular tissue (1.1 percent), mineral compounds, amino acids. Each decaliter of produced alcohol accounts for roughly 12 decaliters of dregs.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Aug. 03, 2007
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