February 9, 2012

Romania's 2011 cow milk collection down 1.3%

As compared to 2010, the amount of cow milk collected in 2011 by the processing units fell 11,635 tonnes (1.3%), totalling 892,115 tonnes, while production of milk for consumption was 221,311 tonnes, according to data released on Wednesday (Feb 8) by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).

The heaviest fall in production in 2011 compared to 2010 was butter production which dropped 347 tonnes (-3.6%) down to 9,407 tonnes, followed by cheeses, including the cheese made from cow milk only (94.2% of the total cheese production) by 1,957 tonnes (-3.1%). The cheese production in 2011 was 62,005 tonnes.

The production of smetana (sour heavy cream) went up by 477 tonnes (1%) in 2011, totalling 47,278 tonnes and the amount of milk for consumption (221,311 tonnes) and the amount of fermented milk (yogurt, drinking yogurt and others, 148,505 tonnes) remained about the same with those in 2010.