Chile imported 472.8m litres equivalent as cheese gained ground
From January to July, Chile imported 13,968.4 tonnes of cheese, 13% more than in the corresponding period of 2025. Gouda supplies were concentrated among Germany, Argentina and the Netherlands, which accounted for 43.7%, 40.8% and 13.4% respectively. Argentina therefore supplied more than four in every ten kilograms of gouda imported during the period.
International and domestic price references differed in July. The Global Dairy Trade benchmark for cheddar was about US$3,750 per tonne, while the local price was approximately US$4,190. Cheese imports continued to expand during the period covered by the Fedeleche monitoring.
Milk-powder imports moved in the opposite direction
Imports of whole milk powder fell by 77.5% year on year, to 340.9 tonnes in the first seven months of 2026. Argentina supplied 51.8% of the category and Uruguay a further 44%, meaning the two Mercosur countries accounted for almost all Chilean purchases.
The import price for whole milk powder was around US$4,140 per tonne in July, compared with approximately US$3,470 for Oceanian and GDT references. Fedeleche identified the price gap as one factor in the sharp reduction in purchases.
Skimmed milk powder imports decreased by 13.2%, reaching 3,660.6 tonnes. The United States held 71% of this market, followed by Argentina with 10.7% and France with 4.9%. Its average import price was about US$3,950 per tonne in July, against roughly US$3,200 for Oceanian and GDT benchmarks.
Argentina remained a major supplier
Argentina’s share varied by product: 40.8% of Chile’s gouda imports, 51.8% of whole milk powder imports and 10.7% of skimmed milk powder imports. Germany, Argentina and the Netherlands dominated gouda sourcing; Argentina and Uruguay led whole milk powder supplies; and the United States accounted for most skimmed milk powder imports.
The average nominal price paid to Chilean producers between January and June was 461.76 pesos per litre, 1.6% higher than in the same period of 2025. Fedeleche described this as a marked slowdown from the double-digit increases recorded between 2021 and 2023. Consumer-price indices for dairy products generally increased, except for liquid milk.
Total dairy imports remained below the period’s peak, recorded in 2021 at the equivalent of 588.7m litres. The first seven months of 2026 showed a different composition of imports: gouda rose by 13%, while whole milk powder fell by 77.5% and skimmed milk powder by 13.2%. Source: Fedeleche.
