ALMOST HALF OF VODKA SOLD IN ARMENIA IS FALSE
ArmInfo
2009-06-19 13:59:00
ArmInfo. Almost half of vodka sold in Armenia is false, Chairman
of the Union of Armenian Winemakers Avag Harutyunyan said at a
press-conference, Friday.
According to him, there is no official statistics in this issue,
and the matter concerns the expert estimation. About 20-25% of
vodka is falsified by local producers and as much is imported from
Russia. A. Harutyunyan said about 30 mln l of vodka are annually drunk
in Armenia, and its consumption grew by 30% as compared to the Soviet
period, while consumption of wine over this period grew from 2.7 l
to 3.6 l in all per capita. He also said such great consumption of
vodka is typical to the backward and developing countries, and the
government should think over stimulation of wine production by its
tax policy. At present, vodka costs much cheaper than wine.
A. Harutyunyan also said for comparison that consumption of wine
per capita in Russia over the last 10 years grew from 2 l to 8 l,
and consumption of vodka did not change and makes up 15-16 l per
capita annually. Consumption of wine in Europe per capita makes up
50 l. The specialist also said the wineries in Armenia in prospect
may face the problem of shortage of grapes.