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US dairy exports were up 34% to $509m (€447.9m) from May 2016.
Exporters shipped 169,648t of milk powder, cheese, butterfat, whey and lactose, up by 15% from last May.
On a total milk solids basis, US dairy exports were equivalent to 14.7% of US milk production in May. Imports equated to 3.1% of US milk production.
Export destinations
Almost 30% of US dairy exports went to Mexico in May.
South of the border shipments were valued at $152m (€133.76m) – 71% higher than last year. Cheese exports were 13,565t, the highest ever, up by 75% (+5,835t). Non-fat dry milk and SMP volume was up by 62% (+11,408t) to 29,772t – the second highest level ever.
Among other top markets, sales to China were 48% higher, with Canada up by 29% and Japan by 84%.
In the first five months of 2017, US exports of NFDM/SMP and whey products ran at record levels. Exporters shipped 58,598t of NFDM/SMP in May, up by 31% year-on-year. In addition to increased sales to Mexico, exporters boosted exports to China by 1,925t, Peru by 1,339t and Japan by 1,235t.
Shipments to southeast Asia were below last year’s levels down by 1,654t. The fourth straight month to see a decrease.
Cheese exports in May reached 34,409t, up by 48% from last May and the highest since March 2014. Besides Mexico, shipments were above last year’s level to South Korea by 1,364t, Japan by 1,187t and Central America by 831t.
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