South Korea: Dairy and Products Annual
In 2017, domestic raw milk production totaled 2.06 million MT, down less than 1 percent from 2016. Since the FMD outbreak in 2010, local raw milk production has over-corrected while at the same time consumption has declined. The Korean government and local industry continue to seek to reduce oversupply. In 2017, domestic cheese production totaled 35,214 MT, up from 28,842 MT in 2016. Consumption continues to grow and outpace production. In 2017, cheese imports totaled $536 million, up 25.9 percent from 2016. The increase in imports is in large part due to free trade agreements (FTAs). In 2017, NFDM production totaled 9,041 MT, a 6 percent increase from the previous year, but considerably lower than excessive 2013 and 2014 levels. In 2017, the NFDM inventory was down to 8,200 MT. It could take several years for NFDM inventories to normalize to 5,000-6,000 MT.
