OREANDA-NEWS. Belarus increased output of vodka, hard liquor, sparkling wine and grape wine output year on year in January-February 2013, while output of fermented beverages (fruit wines, mixed drinks with alcohol content) was on the decline, an official with Belarus’ National Statistics Committee told reporters.

Belarus’ vodka and hard liquor output increased 1.2% on the year in January-February 2013 to 2.628 million decaliters; grape wine – down 44% to 406,000 dal.

In the period, cognac output amounted to 50,000 dal, on par with the 2012 level. “Cognac” is a name used to denote a type of brandy in the former Soviet Union. Output of sparkling wines grew 4.8% year on year in January-Febraury 2013 to 242,000 dal; fermented drinks – down 0.1% to 1.764 million dal.

Inventories of vodka and other liquors amounted to 1.957 million decaliters on March 1, 2012, 148.9% of the average monthly output. Stock reserve of cognac stood at 80,000 decaliters, 3.2 times the average monthly output, sparking wines - 171,000 dal (141.3%), grape wines – 275,000 (135.5%), fermented drinks – 588,000 dal, 66.7% of the average monthly output.

Vodka sales decreased 7% on the year in January-February 2013 to 1.693 million decaliters. Sales of other hard drinks fell 20.4% to 264,300 decaliters; fruit wines – down 5.4% to 1.563 million dal; sparkling wines (including Champaign) – down 8.9% to 213,900 dal.

Sales of cognac went up 47.1% on the year to 55,900 decaliters; grape wines – up 17.2% to 504,100 dal.

The share of vodka in the sales of alcoholic beverages in absolute alcohol terms in Belarus reduced by 1.5 percentage points from January-February 2012 to 49.9%. The share of other hard drinks stood at 5.8%, down 1.2% year on year. The share of grape wines in alcohol sales stood at 5.2% (up 1 percentage point).

The share of fruit wine sales decreased 0.3 percentage points to 20.7%. The share of cognac edged up 0.5% percentage points to 1.6%, and of champagne and sparkling wines reduced 0.1 percentage points to 1.7%.