Australia: Dairy and Products Semi-annual
Link to report:
During the past six months there has been a dramatic turnaround in milk production in Australia. While production in 2018 and 2019 was impacted by drought, early 2020 rains have been plentiful in many key dairy producing areas. This has boosted pasture production, as well as resulted in reduced fodder and grain prices. As a result, milk production in the first quarter of 2020 was nearly 5 percent above the same period in 2019. FAS/Canberra forecasts overall milk production in 2020 at 9.2 million metric tons, up from 8.83 million in 2019. Cheese production is expected to have the greatest production increase of any of the major manufactured dairy products. Although the COVID-19 outbreak is not currently having a major impact on milk or dairy product production in Australia, it is expected to influence consumption and exports.