Some 9.6 mln tons of cow milk collected in 2019

Turkey collected 9.56 million tons of cow's milk in 2019, the country's statistical authority revealed on Feb. 12.

The 2019 figure slipped 4.7 percent compared to the previous year, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) said in a statement.

The country produced 1.5 million tons of drinking milk last year, indicating a 7.3 percent annual drop.

Cheese production from cow's milk also fell 6 percent year-on-year to some 679,000 tons.

"Cheese production from sheep, goat, buffalo and mixed milk was 28,100 tons, dropped 15.9 percent when compared to the previous year," it added.

In 2019, Turkey also produced 1.2 million tons of yogurt, over 720,000 tons of "ayran," a traditional salty drink made of yogurt and water, some 106,700 tons of milk powder, nearly 74,000 tons of butter, and 40,000 tons of cream.

2019 figures for dairy exports

According to the National Milk Council data, Turkey exported dairy products worth of $356.8 million in 2019, up nearly 10 percent from 2018.

Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh were the top export markets for Turkish dairy products last year.