Poland’s export sales of vodka have risen by 6.5 percent in Q1, 2011, with 170,000 litres of the alcohol being sent globally daily.

Poland’s chief recipients of vodka are France and the USA, although China, Vietnam and Cambodia are fast becoming major trade partners.

The Dziennik Gazeta Prawna daily reports that vodka exports have more than doubled in the past five years, with the paper informing that Polish distilleries are fast becoming dependent on exports as domestic vodka consumption has dropped by 10 percent in the past two years.

In 2010, Poland exported 52.2 million litres of vodka, with branch experts estimating that figure to reach as much as 63 million litres this year, with the majority of the tipple being served throughout the EU and the USA.

However, with exports to the Far East gaining momentum, it has been mooted that several Polish distilleries are planning to open factories in China. (jb)