Tsingtao Brewery Co, China's second-biggest beer maker, plans to raise as much as 1.5 billion Yuan (202 million U.S. dollars) selling bonds on the Chinese mainland to expand production in the world's biggest beer market, Shanghai Daily reported November 12.

The company will sell 6-year bonds with call warrants for shares, it said in a Hong Kong Stock Exchange statement. Shareholders will vote on the plan on Dec. 27, it added.

Tsingtao Brewery will add one million tons of new production capacity next year to increase sales, Chairman Li Guirong said on Aug. 12. The company's sales trail China Resources Snow Breweries Co, which is 49 percent owned by SABMiller Plc.

Shipments of beer and quasi-beer beverages in Japan in October grew 0.8 pct from a year before to 39,329,000 cases as robust shipments of the so-called third-segment beverages offset sluggish demand for "happoshu," Jiji Press reported November 12.

Each case contains the equivalent of 20 633-milliliter bottles.

Shipments of third-segment beverages, which have little or no malt content, increased 5.2 pct to 9,180,000 cases, setting a record for the month of October, thanks to a string of new product launches.

Beer shipments rose 0.1 pct to 20,370,000 cases as demand from restaurant grew.

Meanwhile, shipments of "happoshu" low-malt quasi-beer beverages fell 1.8 pct to 9,780,000 cases, marking the sixth consecutive drop.

Among major brewers, Asahi Breweries Ltd., Kirin Brewery Co. and Suntory Ltd. posted rises, while Sapporo Breweries Ltd. logged a slight fall.

The producers of the Bergenbier, Timisorena and Golden Brau brands boast a cumulated value of over 1.1 billion euros, according to the Yearbook "Top 100 Most Valuable Companies in Romania," compiled by Ziarul Financiar in partnership with investment firm Capital Partners, Ziarul Financiar published November 14.

The most valuable company in the beer industry was the local branch of the Dutch producer Heineken, which was evaluated by Capital Partners at 455 million euros, up 40% against the previous year. The fact that the top three players on the beer market are present among the top 100 most valuable companies in the Romanian industry proves once more how competitive this market is, given that no other companies in the dairy, bakery, charcuterie and spirits industry managed to exceed the 200 billion-euro mark. In 2006 Heineken Romania, Ursus Breweries and InBev Romania posted an over 500 million-euro cumulated turnover, and profit worth over 80 million euros.

The malt market is to turn from today’s deficit situation into an overcapacity in the next 2-3 years, according to the conclusions made by market analysts.

Soufflet alone, the world’s largest malt producer, is planning to increase its production capacity by 230,000 tonnes with new openings in France and Romania by 2008-2009. Malteurop, another big player of the malt market, has made new construction program for 300,000 tonnes: 100,000 tonnes in Spain operational for 2008, 100,000 tonnes in Poland for 2009 and 100,000 tonnes in Ukraine for 2010.

Irish-owned Greencore Malt is increasing capacity at its Buckie plant in North-east Scotland from 40,000t to 60,000t in time for the 2008 harvest. This follows news two weeks before of a £12m investment by Simpsons of Berwick, U.K., to increase production at its Berwick-on-Tweed maltings by 40,000t. Scotland has lost 120,000t of malting capacity in recent years as a result of plant closures and distillers are concerned about future supplies of malt.

Heine of Peine, Germany, constructs a malthouse in the port of Hamburg, 75,000 tons; They will shut an old unit of 30,000 tons at Peine. Avangard, Moscow/Bremen, confirmed the completion of the half-finished malting tower at Koblenz, Germany, capacity 80,000 tons. Boortmalt will ...More Info

Former monopoly barley exporter ABB Grain is facing stiff competition for the AU$700 million Australian market from a host of international marketers, The Advertiser reported November 13.

The competition has come as low world barley stocks have pushed prices to records this season with feed barley prices reaching AU$400 a tonne before slipping to about AU$300/t, still higher than ever before.

While farmers have mixed views on whether they are benefiting from deregulation, southern Eyre Peninsula growers are receiving prices equal to those offered at Port Adelaide for the first time.

But deregulation has led to precarious market positions with numerous farmers unable to fulfil contracts while others are watching prices go well beyond their contract prices.

Rural Directions marketing services manager Chris Heinjus said that a significant amount of barley marketing had been done by other companies this year.

"Grain prices in the past two weeks show that growers can gain up to AU$30 a tonne more on any day by shopping around," Mr Heinjus said yesterday.

Yesterday's cash prices show the highest cash price of AU$295 a tonne delivered to Port Adelaide was being offered by Elders and Glencore International (Brooks Grain).

It was followed by Centre State at AU$284/t, Cargill Australia Ltd AU$275/t and ...More Info