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U.S. Dairy Product Trade
The following presents a brief discussion of total dairy product imports and exports. The reader should be aware that a standard definition of total dairy trade is non-existent with the result that other analysts may use different definitions and come up with different totals.
Bureau of the Census export data for the first 5 months of 2001 show that the pace of U.S. dairy product exports is running well ahead of 2000. For the first 5 months of 2001, the total value of dairy exports was $427 million compared to $385 million in the same period of 2000. Further processed items such as food preparations contributed most of the gain. For basic dairy products, cheese and fresh milk exports are significantly higher. The value of milk powder shipments, which are mainly a function of DEIP activity, were up but export quantities were down significantly.
Exports in the whey complex were down as greater exports of whey protein concentrate were more than offset by reduced dry whey exports. Ice cream exports were also reported lower.
On a regional basis, the value of shipments to Mexico is running ahead of last year and, at least temporarily, has put that country in the top spot as the destination of US dairy exports.
The pace of exports to Canada is down slightly from last year when a significant increase occurred.
Exports to Japan, the number 3 market, are down slightly, though shipments to Asia overall are significantly higher.
Data on dairy imports, also from the Bureau of the Census show the pace of imports little changed from that of 2000, i.e., $599 million this year compared with $601 million last year.
For cheese, the largest imported product, both volume and value are down somewhat. The value of casein, the second leading import was up even though the quantity imported was down roughly 15 percent. Following several years of rapid growth, imports of milk protein concentrate are off sharply with both value and volume less than 50 percent of last year’s level.
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