Cabinet to allow exports of cognac blends

The Ministry for Development of Economy, Trade, and Agriculture intends to deregulate production of cognac wine materials and allow producers to export cognac blends for their further bottling abroad by other companies.

The new draft order amending the rules for the cognac production of 2017 has been published on the ministry's website.

Read alsoZelensky urges government to focus on issues of domestic winemakersThe draft also proposes to allow producers to independently determine the period of the distillation of cognac wine materials without restrictions until April 1 or until July 1 of the year following the grape harvest, subject to proper storage quality.

The memo to the draft order says the move will contribute to an increased volume of Ukrainian cognac output through exports, as well as the volume of financial receipts to the national and local budgets.

"Increased production of Ukrainian cognacs through the development of new sales markets will be a significant incentive for attracting investment in planting domestic vineyards," the memo says.

The order comes into force from the day of its official publication.

Cognac-making: Background

The State Statistics Service says the production of cognac and brandy in Ukraine in 2019 increased by 1.7% on year – up to 2.3 million decaliters.