World milk production forecast to increase 0.9% in 2023

World milk production in 2023 is forecast to reach 944 million tonnes, an increase of 0.9 percent from 2022, according to a recent FAO report. If confirmed, this would constitute a second consecutive year of slow growth, as foreseen significant year-on-year volume reductions in milk output in South America, Africa, Europe and Oceania are likely to counter the limited expansions expected in Asia, North America and Central America and the Caribbean. Rising milk yields and cattle numbers in India and Pakistan, together with high output in large-scale dairy farms in China, are likely to drive Asia’s milk output expansion. Similarly, increasing yields and dairy cow numbers could lift milk output in North America, despite lower milk producer margins and a potential increase in cattle slaughter amid attractive premiums for slaughter-ready cows. Mexico will likely drive the milk output expansion in Central America and the Caribbean, where improved management systems and technology ...