Thursday, July 22, 2010, 10:04 AM   Printable version

Russian Heat a Blessing and a Curse

Economy

RT

As Russia's agriculture is crying over its losses from the summer heat, other industries are counting their profits.

In Central Russia, fans and air conditioners have quickly turned into a thing that everyone wants but only a lucky few have got. As Russia faces its hottest summer in years, demand for these products has skyrocketed, outstripping supply.

Online shops work around the clock to fill the nonstop orders and clear the backlog - their waiting lists are already running into August and even September.

"Mobile conditioners sold within three days, just as the heat set in," told Aleksey Vershinin, manager of Technoclimat Co.

"Many companies failed to foresee this heat and did not want to fill their warehouses. Last summer we had rains. This year, no one was ready for the heat."

Sales of Russia's beloved fermented soft drink have also soared in the first two weeks of July.

Russia's biggest kvas producers sold 30 million liters in that time - 2.5 times more than last year and a tenth of their annual production. Last week, the company introduced even bigger bottles of 2.5 liters.

"The demand for kvas is simply incredible. The output, by comparison with autumn and winter, has skyrocketed by dozens of times," said Svetlana Golubeva, production manager of Ochakovo Brewery & Soft drinks.

"Previously, we pulled out two or three million liters a month. Now we produce more than 2 million liters a day and more than 60 million liters a month."

Meanwhile, high temperatures have caused fires and droughts around the country, prompting expected grain shortages.

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