Uruguay Increased Dairy Exports as Prices Reduced Revenue
Uruguay exported about 125,000 tonnes of its main dairy products during the first nine months of the year, generating approximately $460 million from whole milk powder and related shipments. Those products represented roughly two-thirds of the dollars earned and more than three-quarters of the volume covered by the reported categories. Total shipments increased by 7% year on year, while export revenue fell by 2%.
The average price received across the period was 8% lower than in January-September 2025. The overall dairy export total stood at about $691 million through September, 1% below the corresponding figure for last year. The figures were compiled by INALE using data from Uruguay’s National Customs Directorate and published by Tardáguila.
Whole milk powder, the sector’s largest product by value, showed a more favourable monthly movement in September. Its average export price was $3,709 a tonne, 23% above the level recorded in December 2025. That increase did not eliminate the decline in the product’s average price for the year to date.
Butter exports rose 16% to 9,735 tonnes, but earnings decreased by 3% to about $54 million. The accumulated average price was 16% lower than a year earlier. September’s average of $4,854 a tonne was also 29% below the December 2025 figure, with no comparable recovery to that recorded for whole milk powder.
Skimmed milk powder was the strongest performer among the main categories. Uruguay shipped 13,727 tonnes, 9% more than in the same period of 2025, while revenue climbed 15% to $47 million. Its average price increased by 5% over the accumulated period.
Cheese exports moved in the opposite direction on volume but still produced slightly higher revenue. Shipments fell 1% to 13,117 tonnes, while receipts rose 1% to $66 million. The average price was 2% higher than a year earlier and reached $5,212 a tonne in September. Uruguay therefore entered the final quarter with larger shipments of whole and skimmed milk powder and butter, while the value of the trade remained below the previous year’s level.
