Dairy imports grow 2% in first semester
The country’s dairy imports increased by two percent to over 1.7 million metric tons in liquid milk equivalent in the first half of 2026, according to the National Dairy Authority.
MANILA, Philippines — The National Dairy Authority (NDA) reported that Philippines' dairy imports rose by two percent to 1.76 million metric tons liquid milk equivalent (MT-LME) during the first half of 2026. This represented a seven percent increase in dollar terms from the previous year's P43.26 billion. Imported dairy products continued to fulfill 98.58 percent of the total supply, while local production only contributed about 1.42 percent.
Skim milk powder (SMP) saw the biggest growth in imports, increasing by five percent to 713,270 MT-LME. Ready-to-drink liquid milk imports also surged by 21 percent to 66,650 MT-LME. Other milk imports in powder form decreased by 6.5 percent to 269,940 MT-LME. The NDA highlighted the persistent dependency on imports, citing a significant disparity between domestic production and the country's dairy needs.
The agency pledged to bolster its efforts in building its dairy herd, improving animal productivity, enhancing farming systems, and expanding the dairy value chain infrastructure.
Written by urgent.news from Philippine Star Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
