Latvia Witnesses Robust Growth in Dairy Production During 2023

In contrast to a decline in dairy production in 2022, the past year saw a substantial rise in the production of butter (40.3%) and drinking milk (40.0%). Notably, butter production increased by 6.5% compared to 2020, while milk production witnessed a 9.9% reduction during the same period.

The year 2023 also witnessed significant growth in the production of acidified milk (yoghurt, kefir, curdled milk, etc.) by 28.0%, cheese (including various types) by 17.1%, and cream by 14.0% compared to 2022. In comparison to 2020, cheese production increased by 14.2%, cream production by 1.5%, and acidified milk production reduced by 4.6%. Milk procurement and processing companies collected 828.5 thousand tonnes of raw milk in 2023, marking a 2.2% increase (17.6 thousand tonnes) from 2022.

Despite the positive growth in production, the average purchase price for raw milk experienced a sharp decline last year, dropping by 24.3% (114.43 EUR/t) compared to 2022. However, when compared to 2020, the average purchase price showed an overall increase of 27%, reaching 356.75 EUR/t in 2023.