Middle Eastern cheese demand shows upward trend

Driven by increasing demand for cheese and curd in the Middle East, the market is expected to continue an upward consumption trend over the next decade. Market performance is forecast to retain its current trend pattern, expanding with an anticipated compound annual growth rate of 1.9% for the period from 2018 to 2030, which is projected to bring the market volume to 1.8 million tonnes by the end of 2030.
This was contained in a report from IndexBox: Middle East – Cheese and Curd – Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends and Insights. The revenue of the cheese and curd market in the Middle East amounted to $5.5 billion (€4.4bn) in 2018, growing by 5.5% against the previous year. The market value increased at an average annual rate of 1.1% from 2013 to 2018; the trend pattern remained consistent, with somewhat noticeable fluctuations being recorded over the period under review.
Countries with the highest volumes of cheese and curd consumption in 2018 were Saudi Arabia (377,000 tonnes), Iran (237,000 tonnes) and Turkey (202,000 tonnes), with a combined 57% share of total consumption. In value terms, Saudi Arabia ($1.6 billion), Israel ($826 million) and Turkey ($674 million) appeared to be the countries with the highest levels of market value in 2018, with a combined 56% share of the total market.
The countries with the highest levels of cheese and curd per capita consumption in 2018 were Israel (17kg per person), Lebanon (13kg per person) and Saudi Arabia (11kg per person).