Millions of euros of investments in local beer plants and factories are declining due to the continuously increasing imports of this product.

According to official data from the Albanian Ministry of Finance in 2023, beer imports reached over 55,500 liters, a 7% increase compared to 2022.

Compared to 2019, beer imports have increased by 24%. The increase in imports in several industries is occurring precisely at a time when Albania is becoming a destination for foreign tourists who are increasingly seeking local products.

The rapid increase in beer imports in recent years has made it dominant in the market compared to domestic beer.

Data indicates that last year, imported beer accounted for around 60% of the market, whereas in 2015, they accounted for around 40% of the market.

Beer imports expanded rapidly last year in the first few months, as many factories, due to the cold weather, which does not favor consumption and increases internal costs, slowed down activity.

Replacing domestic products with imports, not only in beer, risks several achievements that have been needed for decades. Locally produced goods, in this case beer, have high value as they employ from production, marketing, and distribution, paying taxes and duties for all levels.

Domestic beer producers faced a series of challenges, especially last year. Changes in the fiscal package in January 2023 had the most significant effect.

Before the fiscal changes, domestic production was taxed at 360 lek/HL for producers under 200,000 HL, while for production above this level, the excise was 710 lek. After changes in the law “On Excises in the Republic of Albania”, the tax was unified at 710 lek for producers under and over 200,000 HL, both domestic and foreign.

At the same time, the price of the raw material, beer malt, increased significantly to over 800 euros per ton, from less than 400 euros in 2022.

Many of the producers said that the beer production sector went through the most difficult transition period last year, where production costs increased rapidly, making domestic products non-competitive with imports.

Representatives of bars and restaurants, on the other hand, have called for the encouragement of local production, from beer to wine and other foods, as the increasing number of foreign tourists seek recipes and drinks produced locally.