Phl milk output to breach 30,000 metric tons

The country’s milk output for 2024 will hit 32,000 metric tons owing to increasing number of dairy animals, according  to the latest US Department of Agriculture report..

“Production will recover at the level of 32,000 MT [metric tons] in 2024 attributed to the increasing number of dairy animals,” according to USDA  report published by Business Mirror.

The USDA also projected the country’s milk output to continue increasing next year driven by the increasing herd size and the government’s dairy projects. 

“Post forecasts production will rebound to 33,000 MT in 2025 boosted by an increase in the dairy herd and the active implementation of the government’s dairy development projects.”

Figures from the National Dairy Authority (NDA) showed that the country’s milk production in 2023 reached 28,860 MT. The projected output for 2024 is nearly 11 percent higher than last year’s level.

But despite production improvements, the USDA said the Philippines will supply only 20 percent of its annual ready-to-drink (RTD) milk requirement. It will continue to bank on imports to fill the balance. 

“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.”

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed the country’s beginning inventory of dairy animals in 2024 stood at 34,000 heads, the USDA said.

“The number of dairy goats is growing due to increasing imports, with the NDA focusing on providing goats for the livelihood of small farmers,” it said.

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

The USA also said the country’s demand for RTD milk will grow in 2025 due to the expansion of the government’s Milk Feeding Program and strong food service growth, particularly in the coffee shop sector. 

“Take-out and delivery services will push demand growth as consumers get used to online purchases,” it said. “Post revises consumption in 2024 from the USDA official estimate of 129,000 to 137,000 MT accounting for the increased in local supply and imported RTD milk.”

NDA Administrator Marcus Antonius Andaya recently said the agency would begin to import dairy cattle as soon as their 2025 budget is approved. 

These animals would be placed in NDA’s stock farms around the country and their offspring would then be distributed to farmers, he added. 

Andaya said the agency is expecting the arrival of at least 600 imported dairy cattle from Australia in July 2025. 

“Within the same year, the dairy cattle will be able to produce milk,” Andaya said, adding that NDA is targeting to raise annual domestic production to 80 million liters, equivalent to a 5 percent milk self-sufficiency rate, by 2028. He said the country’s milk self-sufficiency rate stood at 1.54 percent as of June.