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Vietnam's beer industry brews up a
storm
HANOI - Large
amounts of money are being pumped into new beer
breweries in Vietnam, but with domestic demand not
expected to rise any time soon, the market is set
to be awash, Ho Chi Minh City market experts have
warned.
Vietnam's beer production in 2004
was 1.37 billion liters and was estimated to rise
to 1.5 billion liters this year, a figure
originally expected to be reached in 2010, the
experts said. At the current rate of investment,
production capacity would reach 2.5 billion liters
by 2010, they added.
However, domestic
consumption is just below 1 billion liters a year
and exports have only reached a modest 3 million
liters.
Nguyen Van Kiet, chairman of the
Vietnam Beer and Beverage Association, said the
country had 323 breweries located in 49 cities and
provinces.
Saigon Beer Company (Sabeco) is
among the companies investing in expanding
capacity. Chairman Nguyen Ba Thi said the
investment plan envisaged an increase in output by
many of its affiliates.
In 2004, the
company's beer output was 403 million liters, of
which 268 million liters were produced at its main
brewery in Ho Chi Minh City and the remainder at
affiliated plants, Thi said.
These plants
include Phu Yen, in Phu Yen province; Dung Quat,
in Quang Ngai, Ha Tinh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Nam
and Dong Xuan, in Phu Tho; Viet Tri, in Vinh Phuc;
Huong Sen, in Thai Binh; and Phuong Nam in Ho Chi
Minh City, he said.
The Beer Can Tho
brewery is set to increase its capacity from the
current 15 million to 50 million liters a year
each, and the Beer Ha Tinh facility will increase
capacity from 15 million to 30 million liters.
Saigon Beer Company is also planning to
build many new large breweries. Among them would
be a 100 million liter brewery in Ho Chi Minh
City's Cu Chi rural district, a 15 million liter
brewery in southern Bac Lieu province and a 50
million liter brewery in Quang Nam, Thi said.
In addition, the Hanoi Beer and Beverage
Corporation (Habeco) has announced plans to build
a 100 million liter plant in northern Vinh Phuc
province and expand its Thanh Hoa Brewery. The
corporation also plans to acquire two beer
companies in Hai Duong and Quang Binh provinces.
Foreign investors are also in the race.
Singapore-invested Beer Vietnam has already
applied to the government to increase production
from 150 million to 230 million liters and
Danish-invested Beer Hue Company has announced a
project to build a new 50 million liter brewery in
the Phu Bai Industrial Park.
The Dong
Ha-Huda Beer joint venture, between Vietnam and
Denmark, plans to increase annual its capacity by
30 million liters and Australia's Foster Beer
Company will expand its plant in Da Nang to
increase annual capacity from 45 million to 75
million liters.
Other famous foreign beer
companies from the United States, South America
and Denmark also have researched the Vietnamese
market and are all set to establish joint ventures
with local firms to produce beer for both domestic
consumption and export.
Recently, the
Vietnam Milk Joint Stock Company also announced a
VND300 billion (US$19.1 million) investment to
build a brewery.
(Asia Pulse/VNA) |
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