Leanid Zaika: Lukashenka envies private Belarusian breweries

It won't be difficult to take private breweries from owners and give them to the state.

Leanid Zaika, the head of the Strategy analytical centre, spoke to charter97.org about Lukashenka's statement that “imported beer is stuffed with garbage”.

“As Aliaksandr Lukashenka spoke not about organoleptic, but about physical and chemical properties of beer, I'd like to say there's severe competition among different manufacturers. In Europe, it is competition among the Dutch, the Germans and the Czechs. The composition of modern beer is well known in what concerns the alcoholic fraction, aldehydes, ketons and biological agents. So, I wouldn't say Belarusian beer differs from European one if we say about more natural ingredients. The brewing technology is simple. You cannot add special agents or preservatives except for the standard ones. There are standards. Frankly speaking, our beer doesn't comply with these standards. Actually, you need to be careful with such remarks, because they may offend, for example, the Czechs,” the expert said.

The analyst noted the takeover of loss-making private breweries by the state by the example of Spartak and Kommunarka confectionery factories wouldn't be difficult.

“The forcible takeover by the state is absolutely normal in Belarus. The most valuable things in our country are chocolate and beer. Chocolate is for children, beer is for men. It's a mystery why brewing has suddenly become loss-making. There's an excise duty on alcoholic beverages. If we have this situation [brewing is loss-making], the excise duty should be either reduced or cancelled. Remove the excise duty, and the most popular alcoholic beverage – beer – will become cheap and begin to bring profit. But the matter is that the Belarusian brewing industry has Danish and Dutch capitals. It's seems the state doesn't like that foreigners deal with the excise sector. They must be shown who is the boss here. The Chinese call it ''the red-eye disease', or envy,” the economist thinks.

Lukashenka held a meeting today to discuss the Belarusian brewing industry. He criticised foreign beer for flavours and preservatives and said Belarusian beer was natural.

The Belarusian dictator said the state was ready to return loss-making and low-profit privatised breweries under its control.