U.S. dairy exports post third straight record year
CONTACTS:
Jerry Brown, USDEC |
ARLINGTON, VA - U.S. dairy exports set new volume and value records again in 2022 despite rampant inflation and a host of other challenges to international trade. It was the third straight record year for volume and the second for value.
- The United States increased cheese sales in a truly global fashion in 2022, posting sales gains across continents. Growth highlights include: Mexico +18%; Middle East/North Africa (MENA) +41%; Japan +17%; Central America +17%; Caribbean +25%; South Korea +9%; Australia +14%; and Colombia, +28%.
- Mexico became the first $2-billion U.S. dairy export market as sales rose 37% to $2.5 billion.
- Mexico was the No. 1 U.S. market in volume as well, with exports up 9% to 556,497 MT. Better-than-expected economic growth—five straight quarters of GDP gains through December 2022—helped drive a demand rebound. A strengthening peso helped affordability, particularly in the back half of the year. U.S. cheese, nonfat dry milk/skim milk powder (NFDM/SMP) and butterfat sales all set records to Mexico in 2022. U.S. cheese shipments to Mexico rose 18% to 123,579 MT; NFDM/SMP sales jumped 6% to 359,433 MT; and butterfat increased 340% to 14,461 MT.
- The top U.S. markets by product in 2022 were: Mexico accounted for 27% of U.S. cheese exports, 43% of U.S. NFDM/SMP sales and 30% of U.S. MPC; China accounted for 30% of U.S. whey sales and 26% of U.S. lactose; Canada represented 43% of U.S. butterfat sales; and Taiwan accounted for 38% of U.S. fluid milk and cream exports.
- U.S. suppliers had their best year for butterfat exports since 2013. Sales rose 43% to 81,721 MT, led by triple-digit gains to Canada and Mexico. U.S. butterfat shipments to Canada more than doubled (+18,345 MT), while exports to Mexico grew more than four-fold (+11,173 MT). U.S. suppliers also saw strong increases to South Korea (+153%, +5,253 MT) and Bahrain (+38%, +2,457 MT).
- U.S. milk protein concentrate (MPC) exports increased 16% to 47,434 MT, led by growth to Mexico (+2,902 MT), Southeast Asia (+2,746 MT) and Egypt (+2,644 MT).
- U.S. whey sales were down through the first five months of the year before logging seven consecutive months of double-digit year-over-year growth. The decline in the first five months was largely due to significantly reduced Chinese demand. Chinese purchasing began to rise midyear as domestic pork prices rallied (whey is heavily used in pig feed in China) and U.S. whey prices grew more competitive. U.S. whey exports to China ended the year up 10% (+26,406 MT). U.S. whey shipments to Southeast Asia, the No. 2 U.S. market, grew 6% (+7,713 MT) in 2022. Exports to Canada increased 43% (+17,008 MT) and South America rose 56% (+8,833 MT).
- U.S. exports of high-value whey protein concentrate with 80% protein or more (WPC80+) were flat, but that was due primarily to muted demand from China (which accounted for nearly a quarter of U.S. WPC80+ volume in 2021) and a sharp decline from the UK. But the United States saw some encouraging market diversification for high-value whey in 2022. Japan took over as the top market with U.S. shipments up 33% (+3,370 MT), while sales to Brazil (+58%, +1,459 MT) and Southeast Asia (+34%, +1,445 MT) also shined.
- After two years of record volumes, U.S. NFDM/SMP exports declined 6% in 2022 to 827,313 MT. While falling short of 2021, it was still the second most NFDM/SMP ever shipped in a single year by the United States. Besides posting a record year in Mexico, U.S. suppliers also recorded strong gains to Malaysia (+8,499 MT) and Central America (+8,305 MT).
- Southeast Asia remained the second-largest U.S. market in volume and value terms. However, limited U.S. NFDM/SMP supplies in the first half curtailed overall dairy shipments to the region. U.S. cheese, whey, MPC and lactose shipments to SEA grew collectively by more than 12,000 MT, but a nearly 30,000-MT fall in NFDM/SMP led to an overall decline in volume. Despite the decline, SEA accounted for 19% of U.S. export volume (and 35% of NFDM/SMP sales).

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The U.S. Dairy Export Council is a non-profit, independent membership organization that represents the global trade interests of U.S. dairy producers, proprietary processors and cooperatives, ingredient suppliers and export traders. Its mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and assist the U.S. industry to increase its global dairy ingredient sales and exports of U.S. dairy products. USDEC accomplishes this through programs in market development that build global demand for U.S. dairy products, resolve market access barriers and advance industry trade policy goals. USDEC is supported by staff across the United States and overseas in Mexico, South America, Asia, Middle East and Europe. The U.S. Dairy Export Council prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, disability, national origin, race, color, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, political beliefs, marital status, military status, and arrest or conviction record. www.usdec.org.