Local milk producers thirsty for gov’t support
Domestic production of milk will remain insufficient to meet the growing demand for milk due to a lack of support for producers, despite a 15-percent uptick in the first semester of 2024, according to an industry group.
“Milk production will not increase vs demand and will not be able to support increasing per capita consumption and population growth,” Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. president Danilo Fausto said in a Viber message.
Based on the data from the National Dairy Authority, the country’s milk output rose to 16,020 metric tons in the first half of this year from 13,940 MT in the same period a year ago.
The agency noted that domestic production represented 21 percent of the total liquid milk supply.
The NDA said milk imports and exports also increased.
The volume of milk shipments that arrived in the country was 1.65 million MT during the comparative period, up by 12.9 percent from 1.46 million MT a year prior.
Despite the higher volume, the value of milk imports decreased by 9.2 percent to $37.01 billion from $40.78 billion.
Fausto said the country’s continued heavy reliance on importation “can be expected due to the government’s neglect and when the government is giving low priority to milk production through the development of the local milk industry.”
“Milk is the basic formula to increase the health and nutrition of children leading to a better absorption for learning and education,” he added.
New Zealand was the biggest source of imports, contributing 31 percent of the total dairy import value. The United States followed with a share of 23 percent and Indonesia with 5 percent.
The local milk production sector is supported by a dairy animal inventory of 151,059 heads, composed of 34,754 dairy cattle, 80,805 dairy carabao and 35,500 dairy goats.
