DairyCo

World Dairy Product Production

Published 8 January 10

World Dairy Product Production

• World production of most dairy products increased between 2007 and 2008.
• World cheese production has increased by 76.3% in the last 30 years, to 19.1 million tonnes in 2008.
• World butter and ghee production has also risen by 39.4% over the past 30 years, while world SMP and buttermilk production has fallen by 20.9% to 3.3 million tonnes in 2008.

In 2008 9.6 million tonnes of butter and ghee were produced in the world, this was an increase of 8.4% (over 747,000 tonnes) when compared to 2007. In the longer term butter and ghee production has also shown an increase in production, increasing by 39.4% in the last 30 years. The largest producer of butter and ghee is India, producing over 3.8 million tonnes in 2008 and accounting for 39.7% of world production.

World cheese production in 2008 stood at 19.1 million tonnes, an increase of 27,661 tonnes (0.1%) when compared to 2007. Cheese production has increased by over 76.3% in the last 30 years, from under 10.4 million tonnes in 1978 to over 19.1 million tonnes in 2008. The USA is a major producer of cheese, producing over 4.8 million tonnes in 2008, around 25.3% of world cheese production.

SMP and buttermilk production has increased between 2007 and 2008, as has evaporated milk and condensed milk production. However, SMP and buttermilk production has fallen by 20.9% (0.9 million tonnes) in the last 30 years, while evaporated milk and condensed milk production has seen a small increase in production, up 7.5%. SMP and buttermilk production in 2008 stood at 3.3 million tonnes and evaporated milk and condensed milk production stood at 4.6 million tonnes.

For information on other dairy products and more historic data click here.

 Source: FAO