Romania‘s raw milk imports at 135,640 tons in 2020, up 20 pct from previous year

 

The amount of raw milk collected by processing units of agricultural holdings, collection centers and own farms was just 0.9 percent higher in 2020, at 1.171 million tons. Of this amount, cow's milk accounted for 1.132 million tons, by 6,707 tons more (+0.6 percent) compared to 2019.

 

The collected amounts of raw goat's, buffalo and sheep milk were also higher compared to 2019 by 19.9 percent, 10.9 percent and 4.1 percent, respectively.

 

According to statistical data, the highest production increase last year was for butter: 1,526 tons (+14.3 percent), to a total of 12,175 tons, followed by drinking milk with a 27,636-ton growth (+8.4 percent) to 357,313 tons, cream - with an advance of 1,401 tons (+2.1 percent) to 68,305 tons, cheese (including whey cheese) with a 954-ton growth (+1 percent) to 97,356 tons, sour milk (yogurt, drinking yogurt and other similar dairy products) - up by 578 tons (+0.3 percent) to a total output of 225,730 tons.

 

The production of cow's milk cheese (accounting for 87.5 percent of the total cheese production) also increased by 2,464 tons (+3 percent) to a total of 85,211 tons.

 

Conversely, the 2020 production was down in comparison to 2019 for milk powder - 162 tons less (-10.5 percent) and melted cheese - by 15 tons lower (-0.2 percent).

 

The regions with the highest amounts of cow's milk collected were Center (39.7 percent), North-East (19.1 percent) and North-West (17.9 percent), while the regions with the highest production of drinking milk were Center (52.6 percent), North-West (21.1 percent), and West (over 13 percent).

 

Together, the Center, Bucharest-Ilfov and North-West regions account for more than 79 percent of the production of fresh dairy products (cream and sour milk): Center (37.2 percent), Bucharest-Ilfov (over 23 percent) and North-West (18.5 percent).

 

The butter production was highest in the Center (46.9 percent), Western (over 29.0 percent), North-West (11.0 percent) and North-Eastern (6.9 percent) regions, while the regions with the highest cheese production (whey cheese included) were Center (41.7 percent), North-East (23.9 percent), North-West (16.5 percent), South-East (7.7 percent) and South Muntenia (7.5 percent). The highest production of melted cheese came from the Center region (90.9 percent).