Domestic Nominal Dairy Production Capacity at 12m Tons p.a.
EghtesadOnline: Iran’s dairy industry currently has the nominal capacity to produce 12 million tons of products per annum.
According to deputy minister of industries, mining and trade, Mehdi Sadeqi Niyaraki, currently 650 licensed dairy production units are active across the country.
"There are also production units that are functioning without obtaining a operation license from the ministry,” he was quoted as saying by IRNA, adding that all the above-mentioned factories account for 2% of the country’s employment in the industrial sector.
More than 11 million tons of milk were produced in Iran during the last Iranian year (March 2019-20).
According to Morteza Rezaei, deputy agriculture minister for livestock affairs, more than 700,000 tons of milk and dairy products as well as 50,000 tons of milk powder were exported during the same period.
He noted that plans are underway to become self-sufficient in butter production using domestically-produced milk.
Iran is one of the top milk producing countries in the world.
Dairy producers were recently given the go-ahead to increase their prices by an average of 22% up to a maximum of 28%.
Iran’s per capita milk and dairy product consumption currently stands at 117 kilograms per year, which is 48 kilograms lower than the annual global average of 165 kilograms, according to the head of Iran’s Cattle Owners Union.
“Based on the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation’s latest report, per capita consumption of these products should stand at 300 kilograms," Ahmad Moqaddasi was quoted as saying by IRNA.