While CWT-assisted exports of cheese and butter were down slightly in the third quarter of 2014, compared to the same period in 2013, whole milk powder exports registered a significant increase. This kept year-to-date total tonnage of export sales assisted by CWT ahead of 2013 levels by 3.2 million pounds. The total volume of products sold grew by 37 million pounds to 167 million pounds, including cheese, 82 percent butter and whole milk powder.
In the third quarter, CWT received 248 requests for assistance. It provided member cooperatives with assistance on 117, resulting in 34 million pounds of cheddar, Gouda and Monterey Jack cheese, 1.3 million pounds of 82 percent milkfat butter and 18.6 million pounds of whole milk powder being sold.
Through the first nine months of 2014, CWT assisted in sales of 85.6 million pounds of cheese, 48.2 million pounds of butter and 33.2 million pounds of whole milk powder, adjusting for cancellations.
Japan accounted for 75 percent of assisted cheese sales in Asia. In the Middle East, 97 percent of the cheese was sold into Saudi Arabia.
Iran is the largest recipient in the Middle East of export-assisted butter, followed by Saudi Arabia at 28 percent and Bahrain with 26 percent. In North Africa, the leading destination for CWT-assisted butter is Morocco at 55 percent, followed by Egypt at 44 percent.
Venezuela and Colombia accounted for 49 percent and 46 percent, respectively, of the whole milk powder sales in Central and South America.
Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) was designed by America’s dairy farmers to benefit all of America’s dairy farmers. It is a voluntary, producer-funded program developed by National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) to strengthen and stabilize producer prices. Participating producers contribute four cents per hundredweight of milk produced to fund the program. For membership information go to the website.
