Influence of price level of imported wine on competition in the wine-production sector in the Czech Republic

Abstract

The paper is a part of solution of the grant awarded by the Ministry of Agriculture (NAZV) No. QF 3276 and analyzes the influence of the price level of imported bottled wine on the competition in the wine-production sector in the Czech Republic. The comparison of the industrial producers’ prices in the Czech Republic with the average import prices of bottled wine in particular years brings us to conclusion that a threat for Czech producers is first the price of the imported table wine (white and red) at present. The average import prices of this wine category varied under the minimal average industrial producers’ prices in 1998–2003. The average import price of the white table wine in containers up to 2 liters was 19 CZK per liter in 2003 and the minimal average industrial producers’ price was 26.90 CZK per liter in the same year. The price level is higher in case of the red table wine in general, but the average annual import prices (in 2003, 23 CZK per liter) also varied under the minimal average industrial producers’ prices in all analyzed years (in 2003, 29.70 CZK per liter). The situation is more positive for the Czech wine producers in case of the quality wine. There is a space for an increase in price. The average import prices were by 25 CZK per liter per year higher in average than the maximal industrial producers’ prices in the Czech Republic in all analyzed years. However, while the average annual import price of the white quality wine increases (50 CZK per liter in 1998; 93 CZK per liter in 2003) and creates a bigger space for the Czech wine producers in the price policy, the average annual import prices of the red quality wine varied around 80 CZK per liter in all analyzed years.