Dairy output to grow, but still trails demand

The country’s dairy production is expected to grow nine percent this year, driven by a growing dairy herd and the implementation of the government’s dairy development programs, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

- Ricardo M. Austria

In a Nov. 25 report by the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), local dairy output is projected to reach 36,000 metric tons (MT) in liquid milk equivalent compared to 32,980 MT last year.

The foreign agency attributed the growth to the increase in the population of dairy animals, which rose nearly seven percent to 36,300 heads from last year’s 33,982 heads.

It also cited the active implementation of the government’s dairy development projects, particularly through the National Dairy Authority’s (NDA) initiatives to strengthen the dairy industry, for boosting the country’s dairy output.

With the NDA’s establishment and operationalization of NDA’s stock farms, feed centers, and community-based farm enterprise development programs, among others, dairy output next year is also expected to rise.