YEREVAN. – Brandy is one of those rare food processing industrial products, the dominant part of which is exported. Thus, 90.2% out of total volume of brandy turnout was exported in 2013, that number amounting to 96.6% last year. In fact, such an increase in export should not be considered as a positive tendency at all. Conversely, both the production and export have decreased. Decline in export (by 0.2 million liters) was less than that in the field in total (by about 1,6 million liters), this resulting in the automatic increase of export share.

Armenian brandy is exported to many countries, its main importer being Russia, which imports nearly 80% of the exported product. This explains why the economic crisis in our northern neighbor country, among other repercussions, also had an impact on the brandy production in Armenia.

In January-February of the current year the brandy export in Armenia dropped to 705.7 thousand liters, or 31.3 %, which means that the production has decreased by nearly one third. In case the problem with the brandy sale in Russia sustains, and other foreign markets are not found, the situation will considerably deteriorate, its consequences extending far beyond the field.

According to the volume of export, brandy is in the lead of the Armenian market, ranking the second among other products. Therefore, dramatic decline in brandy export will make the imbalance in the internal trade even deeper. Moreover, the problem with the sale of brandy will negatively impact the further purchase of grape from farmers. 

Grape is noticeable for its high marketability, the overwhelming part of its vintage being bought wholesale by processing companies. Only several months are left before vintage season, and the Government should manage to address these problems, otherwise the farmers will suffer great losses.