Big business and fast food boost milk production in developing regions,
says FAO report
"The dairy industry in developing regions, especially Asia and Latin
America, is growing fast - a fact that is concealed by global milk production
figures that show only a 1 or 2 percent change per year," according to
Michael Griffin, an FAO commodity specialist. The global figures also conceal
a steep decline in output in eastern Europe and the former USSR since 1990.
In his paper, "World
Dairy Situation: Changes and Trends", Griffin forecasts a shift
in the balance of milk production away from developed countries to the
E-mail bulletin on world dairy industry available
Regularly updated information
about developments in the world dairy industry can be obtained electronically
through Dairy Outlook,
an e-mail service issued by FAO's Basic Foodstuffs Service. The service
is based on an exchange of information, in which subscribers are asked
to contribute statistics, reports, newspaper clippings, weather/ pasture/
production reports, prices and other relevant material.
for example, Dairy Outlook reported that plans for expanding the milk industry
in Argentina and Uruguay have been hit by drought. For Argentinian farmers,
this is the second year in a row that plans for increasing production have
been thwarted by lack of rain. In 1996, dairy farm deliveries in the country
rose by only 3 percent, half the growth expected.
The same Dairy Outlook included
a story on Madagascar, where imports of 800 Dutch cows have been blocked
because of concern that they may introduce "mad cow disease" into the country.
The foreign cows would be expected to yield considerably more milk than
local animals which give only 5 to 10 litres a day. Although milk consumption
on the island is low, at just 14 litres per person per year, domestic production
does not meet demand.
Increased consumption of dairy products in Latin America and Asia is
fueled by rapid growth in the numbers of city dwellers with more money
to spend, and by the market dominance of big business. Fast food giants
and supermarkets with refrigeration banks displaying hundreds of cheeses
and yogurts have changed centuries of eating habits.Consumers across the
globe can now choose from a vast array of dairy products.
"Where once there might have been simply milk, we now have milk in a
multitude of fat combinations, enriched or flavoured in varying ways, and
aimed at various sections of the market - pregnant women, toddlers, children,
adolescents, slimmers, active adults, pensioners", the report says.
"In this respect," Griffin remarks, "dairy could be termed the 'greeting
card industry' of the food world. It often seems as if a product is available
for every age and occasion."
Mexico: milk is now marketed
for every kind of consumer
In many Southeast Asian countries, consumers used to shy away from cheese
as smelly and even poisonous. But the now ubiquitous pizza restaurants
and hamburger chains are big users of cheese, milk and whey powder.
"McDonald's in Australia uses one kg of cheese for ever four kg of beef",
Griffin points out. "If this figure is considered in terms of McDonald's
global coverage -21,000 restaurants in 101 countries - it amounts to a
substantial amount of cheese."
Although dairy farmers in developing countries wishing to boost production
may look to cows, almost a third of milk production in these countries
comes from other animals - buffaloes, sheep, goats and camels. Consumers
in the developed countries get 99 percent of their dairy products from
cows' milk. But buffalo milk makes up 10 percent of world milk production,
with half of India's annual production of 67 million tonnes of milk coming
6 June 1997