Domestic beer market, stable in 2016. Romania ranks 7th on consumption per capita

Romania’s beer market volume in 2016 remained at the same level reached in the previous year, 15.8 million hectoliters, as well as the consumption per capita, which stood at 80 liters. Thus, Romania ranks 7th in terms of consumption among European countries, Brewers of Romania Association data show.

“Beer production is a real stimulus for the Romania’s economic growth, by creating jobs nationwide, generating added value in all related activities and through important contributions to the state budget as taxes. The beer industry generates over EUR 500 million annually to the state budget directly and through related activities,” Julia Leferman, General Manager of Brewers of Romania Association, stated in a press conference on Wednesday.

She also pointed out that the local beer production share exceeds 97 percent of the domestic consumption, and 70 percent of the ingredients used in brewing come from Romanian agriculture. Thus, over 10,000 Romanians have a job in agriculture.

Moreover, the beer sector has a significant influence on the labor employment degree, by creating about 85,000 jobs at national level, directly and indirectly.

“Unlike previous years, no tax burden and fiscal predictability that the beer sector and other sectors enjoyed, allowed the market to evolve naturally and to bring their contribution to national economy. We welcome this fiscal stability and believe that it is the essential factor to stimulate market development given that we are talking about a highly competitive market”, Brewers of Romania Association official also said.

PET beer remained the most purchased product, however, there is a trend of consumers to turn to premium products, namely beer bottle, according to Shachar Shaine, Association‘s president.

While Romania’s beer exports recorded in 2016 a slightly downward trend, by 0.08 million hectoliters, reaching a total of 0.42 million hectoliters, the imports registered a slight increase compared to 2015, of 0.09 million hectoliters, reaching a total of 0.44 million hectoliters. However, Romania has kept the deep national character.

It seems somehow paradoxical, but countries such as Germany, Hungary, Poland, France, Netherlands, Czech Republic – with a beer culture and a significant local production – were interested ‘to taste’ a bit of Romanian beer.

For 2017, Brewers of Romania Association representatives estimate a slight increase in consumption, but this depends on several factors like fiscal predictability, weather conditions a.s.o.

The investments made last year by Association’s members have an upward trend. The investment value amounted to EUR 69.7 million, up EUR 14.2 million compared to 2015. Overall, the investments made by the Brewers of Romania members from entering local market reached EUR 1.4 billion.