Uruguay’s Milk-Powder Shipments to Algeria Fell by Half

Uruguay’s exports of whole milk powder reached slightly more than 11,000 tonnes in August, according to Tardáguila Agromercados. It was the country’s smallest monthly volume since February. The average export price was $3,719 per tonne, down 2% from July and 11% below the level recorded a year earlier.

The weaker milk-powder shipments affected Uruguay’s broader dairy trade. Total dairy exports amounted to 17,821 tonnes in August, compared with more than 26,000 tonnes in July. That represented a monthly decline of 32%.

Juan Parra, a director of the cooperative Conaprole, said the reduction in shipments to Algeria should be viewed in the context of logistics. He said Algeria still accounted for more than 40% of the business and that there had been no significant change in demand. Some consignments assigned to Algeria had been scheduled for particular vessels but were not loaded as planned, he said.

Conaprole expects to complete those shipments in the following weeks. Parra said the quarterly decline did not necessarily represent a permanent loss of sales, although the delayed cargoes would need to leave the country. Algeria remains one of the main destinations for Uruguay’s exported milk powder.

Brazil took a larger share of Uruguay’s available supply during the period. Between June and August, Uruguay’s sales of whole milk powder to Brazil rose from fewer than 8,000 tonnes a year earlier to more than 13,000 tonnes in 2026, an increase of 66%. Brazil remained the second-largest destination for the product.

Several smaller markets also recorded higher purchases. Nigeria tripled its buying to about 3,000 tonnes during the quarter, while Venezuela more than doubled its volume and also exceeded 3,000 tonnes. Mauritania increased purchases by roughly 14%, to around 2,000 tonnes. These markets remained smaller than Algeria and Brazil.

The export figures come as Uruguay’s spring forage conditions have raised expectations of a substantial increase in milk production over the coming months. Higher milk availability would provide the dairy industry with more raw material and finished products for export. The source reported that this would increase the importance of maintaining regular shipments and managing inventories toward the end of the year.