Russia has more than doubled the duty on beer imports

The Russian government has increased the duty on beer imports from so-called unfriendly countries by two and a half times. The duty is now 10 euro cents per liter, instead of the previous 4 cents, reports RBC.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade said in a statement that the share of beer in the total consumption structure does not exceed 5%. The measure is not prohibitive and will help level the competitive conditions for Russian manufacturers, the ministry said in a press release.

Also, the rate of import duties on certain types of goods from Latvia, Lithuania or Estonia is increased by up to 50%. We are talking, in particular, about finished products containing cocoa, some types of outerwear and zippers.

The list of cosmetics and perfumery products, on which import duties are set at 35%, is also expanding. These are toothpaste from Spain and Japan, hairsprays from Poland, shaving products from Germany.

The Kommersant publication wrote that in 2023, beer imports to Russia amounted to 370.5 million liters, which is 12% more than in 2022. According to the publication, imports remained below 2020–2021 levels.

According to Kommersant, last year about 52% of beer imports came from products from Germany. Beer imports from the Czech Republic increased by 49% or 49 million liters, and from Belgium by 36% or 38 million liters. Beer supplies from Mexico and China have increased significantly.