Germany sees yogurt, whey growth from Asia

Yogurt export sales outside the EU for Germany increased by massive 76% for the first five months of 2013 compared with the same period last year. The Association of the German Dairy Industry (MIV) says developments confirm the growing importance of so-called “third countries” , especially China and the countries of the Near East and North Africa, for the continuing expansion of its milk sector.

In August the MIV also warned that both the German domestic market and the general EU demand for all milk products is dropping slightly. But it added that sales outside the EU increased by 4% in 2012 and experienced huge increases or selected products during the first five months of the present year, despite the Russian ban on imports from 56 dairies in Germany who were found not to have the required level of traceability in their milk supplies.

Included among the most spectacular increases in German dairy export sales from January to end of May 2013 is a 37% expansion in liquid milk shipments and a 42% rise in butter sales. But export sales of other products were down on the year, with the most dramatic drop suffered by condensed milk, which saw a drop of 35%. But spread over the year, the MIV expects demand from third countries to continue to grow strongly, although EU countries still represent the main market for German dairy exports.

Asian countries in particular are buying increasingly more drinking milk and dairy-based baby food formulas from Germany, reports the MIV. German yogurt is especially popular in Asia and the Near East, while there’s a general large increase in interest outside the EU for the country’s whole milk powders, cheese, butter and whey powders.