Thailand heads Asian milk export rankings
INDIA is the world's largest milk producer, with 18 per cent of global production, followed by the United States and China. But when it comes to milk exports, Thailand is No.1 in Asia.
Thailand is also the largest producer and exporter of dairy products in Asean.
Thailand’s status as the Asia’s largest milk exporter is confirmed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the CIA’s World Factbook. The country has a raw milk production capacity of 2,800 tonnes a day, or just over one million tonnes per year, as of 2015. Sales for 2015 were valued at $33.1 million
Global sales in 2015 from all milk-exporting countries totalled US$7.2 billion, of which Asia sold $496.2 million. Overall, the value of milk exports has been down by an average of 18.1 per cent for all exporting countries since 2011 when milk shipments were valued at $8.8 billion. Year over year, the value of milk exports dropped 25.3 per cent from 2014 to 2015.
With over $24.2 million worth of production in 2015, China was the second-largest milk exporter in Asia. A Rabobank report states the biggest consumers of milk in Asia are Singapore and China, with consumption per capita equal to 62 and 38 litres, respectively.
South Korea exported around $17.9 million of milk. Hong Kong, Indonesia and Japan sold $15.8 million, $10.5 million and $8.5 million worth of milk respectively.
India, with 18 per cent of global production, achieved an annual output of 146.3 million tonnes during 2014-15, followed by the US and China. India exported just $4 million of milk in 2015 due to high domestic consumption.
India's dairy product (non-fat dry milk) exports are projected to remain flat at 30,000 tonnes next year on expectations of high global supplies and low prices, according to a latest USDA report.
