Dairy imports up 15% in Q1

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s dairy imports in the first quarter rose by 15 percent on an annual basis to over 870,000 metric tons in liquid milk equivalent (MT-LME) as demand across various milk products grew, according to the National Dairy Authority (NDA).

Latest NDA report showed that dairy imports in the first three months of the year reached 873,700 MT-LME, about 15.3 percent higher than the 757,590 MT-LME recorded in the same period last year.

Skim milk powder (SMP) was the most imported dairy product during the reference period as it accounted for 36.75 percent of the total imported volume.

However, SMP imports fell by four percent year-on-year to 321,100 MT-LME from last year’s 335,210 MT-LME.

Other milk imports in powder form, including whole milk and buttermilk, expanded by 47 percent year-on-year to 170,700 MT-LME from 115,590 MT-LME.

Meanwhile, imports of ready-to-drink liquid milk rose by eight percent to 30,040 MT-LME from 27,780 MT-LME.

Other dairy dairy imports rose by more than a quarter to 351,840 MT-LME from 279,010 MT-LME.

In terms of value, total dairy imports in the first quarter were estimated at P21.59 billion, up by 31 percent from last year’s P16.47 billion, reflecting higher import cost during the period.

NDA data showed that dairy import unit cost in the first three months was at $0.43 per liter, higher than the $0.40 per liter average recorded in 2024.

In peso terms, a liter of imported milk cost P24.71 from January to March compared to P22.91 last year.

Furthermore, domestic dairy output in the first quarter rose by 10.52 percent to 9,580 MT-LME from last year’s 8,670 MT-LME, according to the NDA. Despite the increase, local production accounted for a mere 1.08 percent of the country’s total milk supply during the three-month period.

“The persistent and overwhelming reliance on imports continues to be a major challenge, highlighting the pressing need for targeted policy interventions and increased investment in local dairy production,” the NDA said.

Local dairy inventory rose by nine percent to 157,926 heads from 144,647 heads, according to the NDA.