Figures on Russian vodka exports posted

Russian vodka and liquor exports' share in the total volume of theirproduction in Russia was 2.5 percent in the first six months of 2002. Some97 percent of exports were delivered to countries outside the Commonwealthof Independent States, the National alcohol association reported citingdata of the State Statistics Committee of the Russian Federation. On thewhole, Russian vodka and liquor exports amounted to 1,472,665 decaliters inthe reported period.Among the main exporters were the Kaliningrad, Irkutsk, Magadan, Novgorodand Omsk regions that exported 67.3 percent, 6.7 percent, 1.8 percent, 1.4percent and 1.37 percent respectively of their production volume. The shareof other regions in Russian vodka and liquor exports was lower than onepercent. Specialists state that the North Western Federal District was themain exporter of alcohol products, because some 14.62 percent of itsalcohol production was exported. Exports to CIS countries was 42-fold lowerthan to other foreign countries amounting to only 34,185 decaliters,compared to 1,438,484 decaliters outside the CIS..