Panama's Dairy Industry Receives 6% More Milk in 2024

Panama City, Panama — According to a recent report from Panama, the country\'s dairy industry experienced significant growth in the reception of milk in 2024. By the year\'s end, the industry had successfully received 163.5 million liters of milk, which marks an increase of 6% compared to the previous year\'s 154.1 million liters.

Despite this growth, the numbers remain slightly below the peak reached in 2019 when the reception totaled 167 million liters. The 2024 figures show a variance of 9.4 million liters from the previous year.

The report titled "Producción/recepción láctea nacional comparativo 2023-2024" highlighted the participation across different grades: Grado A with 87.5 million liters across 314 producers, Grado B with 9.1 million liters among 18 producers, and Grado C with a total 66.8 million liters, segmented between large processors and SMEs together representing 2,411 producers.

While there is a noted increase in production, the number of producers continued to decline, ending 2024 with 2,743 dairy farmers—29 fewer than in 2023 and quite a difference from the 3,064 producers in 2019.

Additionally, Panama imported 442.45 metric tons of milk and cream, down by 8.1% from the previous year, costing the industry $1.6 million. Various dairy imports including butter, yogurt, and mozzarella contributed significant financial transactions, providing insights into the nation\'s dairy import dynamics.