MANILA, Philippines — The country’s dairy imports in the nine months though September rose by more than a fifth on an annual basis to over 2.7 million metric tons in liquid milk equivalent, driven by higher demand as world prices eased.
Dairy purchases abroad from January to September reached 2.71 million MT, about 24.7 percent higher than the 2.17 million MT recorded in the same period last year, according to the National Dairy Authority (NDA).
NDA data showed imports of major dairy products increased during the nine-month period, with milk and cream products jumping by 30 percent to 2.38 million MT from 1.83 million MT.
Skim milk imports, which accounted for 40 percent of total dairy purchases, grew by a quarter to 1.1 million MT from last year’s 879,200 MT.
Purchases abroad of whey reached 567,920 MT, 44 percent higher than the 394,810 MT recorded volume last year.
Buttermilk and buttermilk powder imports, meanwhile, surged by 23.3 percent year-on-year to 329,720 MT from 267,390 MT.
The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization earlier estimated that the Philippines’ dairy imports this year would expand by at least 14 percent year-on-year by higher demand from food processors coupled by softer world market prices.
The international agency noted that there has been “increasing spending on food consumed out of home and the overall increased demand from the hotel, restaurant and institutional sector” in the Philippines.
The Philippines was cited as one of the countries that would contribute to the marginal increase in global dairy trade, which is estimated to inch up by 0.4 percent year-on-year to 85 million MT this year.
NDA data showed that the import cost per liter of dairy products during the nine-month period averaged at P22.52 per liter, 14 percent lower than last year’s average of P26.19 per liter.
Value of dairy imports during the nine-month period remained relatively flat at $1.07 billion compared to last year’s $1.06 billion.
The country imports virtually all of its dairy needs as local production remains miniscule.
Domestic dairy output from January to September grew by 12 percent year-on-year to 23,640 MT from 21,120 MT on the back of bigger dairy herd that expanded by more than half.
The NDA plans to hike the country’s milk sufficiency ratio to five percent by 2028 from the current level of 1.5 percent.
Some of the agency’s plans to achieve the target include expanding the national dairy herd, boosting milk yields, creating demand, raising public awareness and increasing farmers’ incomes.
The NDA targets to grow the national dairy herd through stock farms, multiplier farms and nucleus farms.