The latest issue of Hoogwegt Horizons, a global dairy newsletter, discusses the outlook for several dairy markets in Asia, highlighting the need for continued imports from significant dairy producing countries, such as the United States, to meet burgeoning demand. IDFA and its members have a keen interest in these growing markets and have actively supported the Trans-Pacific Partnership talks (link to related story) and the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, which will be in force starting tomorrow. 

“Demand growth in Asia is expected to soar over the next decade as incomes rise and demand for animal protein increases,” the newsletter reports. Markets in Vietnam and Korea are especially attractive for dairy because both countries are expected to experience significant growth in dairy consumption over the next decade. Per capita dairy consumption is currently much lower in Asia than the United States and other Western countries, but it's expected to grow drastically as the region’s large population base begins to gain a taste for foods like pizza.

Throughout Asia, the new and growing demand for milk and milk products will need to be fulfilled by imported products because many countries can't meet domestic production needs. The newsletter notes that 78 percent of Vietnam’s milk needs are met by imports, along with 37 percent for Korea and 75 percent for Indonesia.

It warns, however, that the expected large increase in demand is unlikely to be sustained without significant increases in the volume of imports from dairy producers in the United States and a few other countries.

"The United States is uniquely positioned to supply this growing demand. We have the infrastructure to efficiently produce and process dairy products, and we have the ability to grow significantly to meet increasing global demand," said Jerry Slominski, IDFA senior vice president of legislative affairs and economic policy. "But Rep. Collin Peterson’s (D-MN) milk supply management proposal would limit our industry's growth, curtail exports and hinder job creation. IDFA opposes any form of supply management, especially at a time of great market opportunity for our members and the entire U.S. dairy industry."

For more information, contact John Kelly, IDFA manager of international affairs, at jkelly@idfa.org. For a free subscription to the Hoogwegt Horizons newsletter, visit http://www.hoogwegtus.com/en/.