The bar charts illustrate the production levels of the world’s top three producers of four dairy products: milk, cheese, butter, and milk powder in 2012, measured in metric tonnes.
Overall, the EU was the leading producer in milk and cheese categories, while India dominated butter production. Notably, milk production figures were barely higher than those of the other dairy products.
In terms of milk production, the EU ranked first with approximately 142,970 metric tonnes, followed by India at 127,000, while the United States produced considerably less, at around 90,038. A similar pattern can be seen in cheese production, where the EU again led with 7,120 tonnes, followed by the USA with nearly half of that (4,325), whereas Brazil’s output was minimal at just 700 tonnes.
Regarding butter, India was the largest producer at 4,500 tonnes, pursued by the EU (2,040) and the United States (810). For milk powder, China topped the list with 1,200 tonnes, closely followed by New Zealend at 1,110, while the EU produced the lowest amount in this category at 770 tonnes