MANILA: Dairy products imported by the Philippines declined by 10.57 percent to 1,740.08 metric tons (MT) in 2014, according to the latest report released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
In terms of value, however, the PSA said there was an increase of 2.2 percent. Dairy imports last year reached $876.02 million, higher than $857.19 million recorded in 2013.
Data in the PSA’s report titled, Dairy Industry Performance Report, showed that the country’s milk production rose by 1.03 percent to 19,727.52 liters, from 19,526.42 liters recorded in 2013.
“In 2014 the US and New Zealand were the leading suppliers of the country’s dairy products. They supplied a total of 1,007.73 thousand MT, or 58 percent, of the total dairy imports of the Philippines,” the report read.
The PSA said more than 98 percent of the country’s total milk supplies were imported.
Last year the total volume of dairy products exported by the Philippines was 69,400 MT, higher by by 43.04 percent compared to the previous year’s record of 48,520 MT.
“In 2014 milk and cream comprised 92 percent of the total dairy exports. The rest were butter and cheese,” the report read.
PSA data showed that Malaysia and Thailand were the Philippines’s top markets for its dairy exports.
Last year the PSA said total milk production in the country reached 19.72 million liters. It expanded by 1.03 percent against last year’s level of 19.52 million liters.
“Of this total, 12.84 million liters or 63.68 percent were cow’s milk; 6.86 million liters, or 34.77 percent, were carabao’s milk; and 0.31 million liters, or 1.55 percent, were goat’s milk,” the report read.
Data showed that the annual average farm gate prices per liter of raw milk of dairy cattle and dairy carabao is at P23.50 and P47.00, which increased by 4.44 percent and 2.17 percent, respectively. Goat milk remained stable at P35.00. The country’s total inventory of dairy animals in 2014 increased by 3.62 percent, to 41,781 heads from 39,857 heads in 2013.
Of the total inventory, 22,498 were dairy cattle. This is 4.13-percent higher than the 21,605 recorded in 2013. The total dairy carabao population in 2014 also rose by 2.79 percent to 17,299, from the 16,829 raised in the previous year.
