Cider sales up 100 percent though industry 'could do better'

Photo: sxc.hu

“The result would have been a lot better had it not been for the discriminatory laws against cider-producers,” said Leszek Wiwala, chairman of the Association of Employers of the Polish Spirits Industry, in an interview with Polish Radio.

Poland is the biggest exporter of apples in the world, surpassing China in 2013, yet the cider industry remains in its infancy.

Under Polish law, cider is classed as a wine product, and advertisements of any alcoholic beverages other than beer are forbidden.

Likewise, excise duties on any product that has an alcohol content of more than 5 percent remain the same as for wine, at 158 zloty (37.4 euros) per hectolitre.

This is in line with an amendment introduced in December 2012, which aimed to be more favourable to producers of non-spirits, but many ciders remain slightly above the 5 percent alcohol level.

Nevertheless, Wiwala is still confident that cider will soon conquer 5 percent of the market for products classed as wines.

Cider still has a considerable amount of catching up to do, compared with beer. In 2013, the average Pole consumed 98 litres of beer, against 30 millilitres of cider. (nh)

Source: IAR