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The United States is a major trading partner with the Dominican Republic (DR). The DR is the largest economy in the Caribbean and the seventh-largest economy in Latin America. Since the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) went into effect for the DR in 2007, U.S. agricultural exports to the DR have increased from $1 billion in 2007 to $2 billion in 2024.

On March 15 and 17, the General Administration of Customs of China renewed or extended the facility registrations by five years for approximately 14 U.S. dairy, 210 U.S. poultry, and 365 U.S. pork establishments.

On March 12, 2025, the Government of Egypt (GoE) filed a ninth addendum to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) – G/TBT/N/EGY/313/Add.9 – informing interested parties that it was excluding imports of milk and dairy products from the scope of its Halal certification requirements.

This monthly report includes information on U.S. and global imports of dairy products, including maximum quantities that can be imported under tariff-rate quota licensing.

Post forecasts that milk production in 2022 will reduce about five percent, to 23.7 million metric tons (MMT), while in 2023 it is expected to grow around 3.6 percent, reaching 24.5 MMT. Milk consumption in Brazil is expected to fall around four percent, but recover in 2023 by three percent.

This biannual report includes data on U.S. and global trade, production, consumption and stocks, as well as analysis of developments affecting world trade in dairy products.

The Bulgarian dairy industry faced significant challenges in Marketing Year (MY) 2021 with the national dairy herd, cow milk production and collection, as well as processing contracting. A dry and hot summer, combined with increasing feed grain prices, inflation pressure (especially of energy supply), and a labor deficit led to a decline in the number of dairy farms and stocks. Consolidation and restructuring of the industry continued through the dominating role of larger, more efficient dairy operations.

In 2023, dairy product imports are forecast to remain near 2022 levels but a number of factors, including high global dairy prices, increased domestic production, and a weak economic outlook could weigh heavily on trade. Raw milk production in 2023 is expected to reach nearly 41.7 million metric tons (MMT).

Brazil is the fourth-largest export destination for U.S. agricultural and processed products in South America and depends on international suppliers to meet its demand for food processing ingredients, especially specialty products with high added value. These products offer significant opportunities for U.S. companies to supply Brazilian food manufacturers looking to meet the needs of a growing health-conscious consumer market.

On September 12, 2022, the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) notified draft amendment standards (number 1) to SLS 917:2018 for milk added drinks to the World Trade Organization (WTO). WTO members are invited to submit comments on notification G/TBT/N/LKA/51. The comment period expires on November 12, 2022.

The outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) has significantly disrupted Indonesia’s fresh milk production, which dropped 35 percent compared with the previous years’ production. The decline in domestic fresh milk production has been offset by a significant increase in imported whole milk powder. A rebound of the food service sector industry is expected to support a modest increase in the trade of dairy ingredients in 2022 and 2023.

Milk production in 2023 in Australia is forecast to decline by another two percent to 8.4 million metric tons (MMT), after an estimated six percent fall in 2022 to 8.55 MMT. This decline is expected despite a big increase in farm gate milk prices for 2022/23 to far exceed the previous record, and overall good seasonal production conditions for dairy farmers leading into the forecast year.