Livestock monitor | 2023 campaign
In 2023, 11.325 million liters will be produced. of raw milk, 2% less than in 2022. Production remains stagnant between 10 and 12 billion liters for approximately 30 years. Productivity per cow has increased, however, the number of dairy farms and their total herd has a decreasing trend.
Primary production in millions of liters per year. From 1983 to 2023.
According to data published by the current Ministry of Bioeconomy, information is available on primary production from 1983 to date. With the exception that as of 2015 a new measurement methodology was established that would not allow the two series to be linked directly, what we can observe is that: first, in the '80s, production was between 5500 and 6500 million liters. .; Then, during the '90s, the change in national economic policy led to investment and technological advances in the sector that allowed production to increase year after year and reach a new productive frontier; In 1999, production reached 10300 billion liters annually, which ended up being the simple average of the following 25 years.
The industry is obviously part of the problem and the large processors are also in crisis. The investments made since the new century were not profitable, and many had to reverse course. Milk processing facilities are very expensive and when they cannot capture the amount of raw milk needed to keep them running, costs skyrocket.
Regarding dairy consumption by Argentines, since 2019 it has shown a growing trend, reaching 192,8 liters equivalent per capita annually. The 2,6% increase compared to the previous year is explained, in part, because the retail prices of dairy products have increased below the average measured by the CPI.
Annual per capita consumption in equivalent liters. From 2017 to 2023.
Exports of milk powder fell 30% compared to 2022 (from 800 to 500 million U$D), while those of cheese increased 40% (from 250 to 400 million U$D), mainly driven by the international price of mozzarella cheese.
Cattle slaughter increased 7,5%, implying a production of 3,3 MTn. But as the liquidation of wombs continues, this increase will not be sustainable over time. The production of poultry meat has remained stable in recent years, while that of pork meat continues its increasing trend.
Bovine herd and % of females at slaughter. From 2007 to 2023.
El intern consumption of meat has increased compared to the previous year due to greater consumption of beef. However, in recent years there has been a substitution of beef for pork. An average Argentine in 2023 consumed 52 kg. of beef, 46 kg. of chicken and 17 kg. of pork.
Annual per capita consumption of meat in kg. From 2017 to 2023.
Beef exports are establishing a new floor between 800 and 900 thousand tons mainly due to greater complementarity in export cuts and lower internal demand in relation to historical averages. Together with poultry meat, more than one million tons are exported for a value of 2800 billion U$D.
