Domestic raw milk production totaled 7.186344 million tons in fiscal 2013, marking a year-on-year decline of 2 percent, Japan Dairy Council announced on Tuesday, April 15.
The council attributed the drop in production to a decreasing number of milk cows, as many farmers squeezed or gave up dairy farming due to rising feed prices.
Production of milk for manufacturing items with a longer shelf life such as butter and skimmed milk powder dropped 8.1 percent from a year before to 1.603945 tons. Such milk is used to keep supply-demand balance. As a result, the amount was 206,000 tons short of the production target for milk processed into dairy products.
According to the council, the production decline was conspicuous in Hokkaido, which means the system of milk from Hokkaido making up for the shortage in other prefectures has failed to function.
Total raw milk production in Hokkaido dropped 1.7 percent to 3.760924 tons, while that in other prefectures declined 2.2 percent to 3.42542 tons.
The yearly production of drinking milk totaled 3.308235 tons, down 1.3 percent. Production in Hokkaido amounted to 701,357 tons, down 1.2 percent, and production in other prefectures decreased 1.3 percent to 2.606879 tons.
Production of milk which is processed into cream totaled 1.302409 tons, up 2 percent, while those processed into yogurt dropped 0.2 percent to 493,468 tons and those processed into cheese increased 4 percent to 478,270 tons.
Raw milk production in March decreased 3.4 percent to 619,533 tons. Production in Hokkaido dropped 3.3 percent to 317,867 tons, while that in other prefectures dropped 3.5 percent to 301,667 tons.
(April 16, 2014)