Fedeleche Updates Chilean Dairy Sector Outlook
Sourse: dairynews.today
Fedeleche shares advancements, challenges, and projections for Chile's dairy sector at an international webinar.
The Federación Nacional de Productores de Leche (Fedeleche) of Chile recently shared a comprehensive overview of the national dairy sector during an international webinar organized by the International Dairy Federation (IDF-FIL). This global forum provided a crucial platform for Fedeleche to present key advancements, persistent challenges, and future projections of milk production in Chile, emphasizing consumption, sustainability, strategic linkage, and internationalization of its dairy products.
During the webinar, Fedeleche presented relevant data on the structure of the Chilean dairy sector. Although milk production in the country shows growth with a 3.8% increase in the first quarter of 2025 and a generalized upsurge in plant reception, there is a marked disparity: 51% of producers are small, contributing only 10% of the national milk, while medium and large producers are responsible for the rest. The average price paid to producers in 2024 was 0.47 USD/L. Regarding per capita consumption, it stands at 139 L/year, a figure below FAO recommendations, indicating significant room for growth through value-added dairy products. Concerning foreign trade, Chilean dairy exports reached 261 million USD in 2024, driven primarily by butter, infant formulas, and condensed milk.
Although Chilean exports experienced an 8.31% reduction in the first quarter of 2025, imports also fell by 3.7%, suggesting opportunities to strengthen the domestic market and enhance national production. A central point of the presentation was Chile's commitment to sustainability. Through public-private initiatives like the "Chile Origen Consciente" label, the Chilean dairy sector seeks to position itself as a global environmental benchmark, known for its high sanitary standards and traceability.
However, Fedeleche also highlighted that the regulatory context continues to pose increasing obstacles for dairy producers, and the shortage of skilled labor remains the main challenge for the sector in 2025, a factor limiting production potential. The participation of Fedeleche in this international webinar not only presented the current outlook but also served as a prelude to the IDF World Dairy Summit 2025, to be held in Santiago de Chile in October. This global event will be a platform to continue addressing crucial issues such as climate change, sustainability, and technological innovation in the dairy sector. Chile's projection in international forums and focus on competitiveness and sustainability are key to the continuous development of its dairy industry.
During the webinar, Fedeleche presented relevant data on the structure of the Chilean dairy sector. Although milk production in the country shows growth with a 3.8% increase in the first quarter of 2025 and a generalized upsurge in plant reception, there is a marked disparity: 51% of producers are small, contributing only 10% of the national milk, while medium and large producers are responsible for the rest. The average price paid to producers in 2024 was 0.47 USD/L. Regarding per capita consumption, it stands at 139 L/year, a figure below FAO recommendations, indicating significant room for growth through value-added dairy products. Concerning foreign trade, Chilean dairy exports reached 261 million USD in 2024, driven primarily by butter, infant formulas, and condensed milk.
Although Chilean exports experienced an 8.31% reduction in the first quarter of 2025, imports also fell by 3.7%, suggesting opportunities to strengthen the domestic market and enhance national production. A central point of the presentation was Chile's commitment to sustainability. Through public-private initiatives like the "Chile Origen Consciente" label, the Chilean dairy sector seeks to position itself as a global environmental benchmark, known for its high sanitary standards and traceability.
However, Fedeleche also highlighted that the regulatory context continues to pose increasing obstacles for dairy producers, and the shortage of skilled labor remains the main challenge for the sector in 2025, a factor limiting production potential. The participation of Fedeleche in this international webinar not only presented the current outlook but also served as a prelude to the IDF World Dairy Summit 2025, to be held in Santiago de Chile in October. This global event will be a platform to continue addressing crucial issues such as climate change, sustainability, and technological innovation in the dairy sector. Chile's projection in international forums and focus on competitiveness and sustainability are key to the continuous development of its dairy industry.
