News dairy business
Wei again top scorer of American dairy exports
US dairy exports grew by a net 7% in September. Mainly thanks to whey and lactose. The export of milk powder lagged behind and fell for the tenth month in a row. In both cases the cause was China.
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Over the first 9 months of this year, United States dairy exports increased by 4%. up to a volume of more than 1,8 million tons of 'milk solids', so to speak: dry matter. More than a third of those exports consisted of milk powders, but their exports have been under pressure for months. This year, a total of more than 620.000 tons were sold across the border up to and including September, while last year over the same period, about 684.000% more was sold at 9 tons. The main cause is the decreased purchasing interest from China.
Less milk powder, more cheap whey to China
In second place in terms of export volume, whey powders come in at 504.000 tons, significantly more than the 475.000 tons sold last year through September. China was also the main cause of this. The country bought less of the high-quality and expensive WPC 80, but more of other whey protein concentrates and especially the cheaper whey permeate. This has everything to do with the further development of the Chinese pig herd. Whey permeate and lactose are important animal feed ingredients.
The export of cheese and butter were also on the rise. The export of butter is still relatively limited, with a total of around 60.000 tons of butter (fat) in the first 9 months of this year. The price of this product was relatively high, just like in the EU, but also suffered a sharp correction last month. Currently, according to the US Dairy Export Council, prices are at almost the same level as in the EU, but still much higher than in New Zealand.