Philippines dairy output to swell by 10 percent this year – USDA

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s dairy output this year could grow by 10 percent on an annual basis to 32,000 metric tons (MT) on the back of a growing dairy herd, according to an international agency.

The US Department of Agriculture-Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA-FAS) in Manila projected that domestic dairy output would reach 32,000 MT, about 3,140 MT higher than last year’s 28,860 MT. The agency attributed it to the growing number of dairy animals in the country which has been estimated at about 34,000 heads.

“The number of dairy goats is growing due to increasing imports, with the NDA (National Dairy Authority) focusing on providing goats for the livelihood of small farmers,” it said in a report published recently.

“The dairy cattle herd has recovered from a decline in 2023 due to refreshing of old animals and slaughter of cows for meat,” it added.

Furthermore, local dairy output is expected to continue increasing next year, reaching 33,000 MT as the government becomes more aggressive in its dairy development projects, according to the USDA-FAS Manila.

“Production growth has been slow in previous years because of the inability to increase the dairy herd, mostly due to insufficient funding and little investment from the private sector,” it said.

Despite production improvements, the country only supplies 20 percent of its annual ready-to-drink milk requirement, with the rest being imported. This means that one glass out of five glasses of liquid milk consumed in the country comes from local production, the report said.

The report noted that the country’s average milk production remains subpar with other countries such as the US where cows produce 30 liters a day. In the Philippines, dairy cows have an average milk output of 10 liters a day, 4.5 liters a day for buffalo and 1.5 liters a day for goats, according to the report.