COVID-10 to add extra US$1.6bn to milk sales in China in 2020

China's largest dairy category, milk, is predicted to achieve US$26.9 billion in 2020, which is US$1.6 billion increase compared to 2019. The volume is expected to increase to 10 billion kg in 2020 from 9.6 billion kg in 2019, primarily due to health concerns relating to COVID-19.

According to GlobalData's consumer analyst, Ryan Whittaker, "China invested heavily in modernizing its dairy industry for the past several years and officially promotes milk consumption on the basis of its health benefits. Refrigeration has become increasingly ubiquitous in China, meaning that modern consumers have the space to store milk and other dairy products for longer. Milk is often positioned as a means to get more protein into their diet, and to help build and maintain the body’s immune system. Of course, COVID-19 pandemic has forced Chinese consumers to focus on their health, prompting a surge in demand.”