The top three producing nations in the world in 2012 are represented by the bar charts, which show the production volumes of four distinct dairy products.
In general, India and China are the world’s leading producers of butter and milk powder, whereas the EU dominates the milk and cheese markets.
The EU produced an incredible 142,970 MT of milk, more than 16,000 metric tonnes more than India and over 50,000 MT more than the United States. In total, the EU produced 7,120 metric tonnes of cheese in 2012, considerably outpacing the US’s 4,925 metric tonnes and Brazil’s pathetic 700 tonnes.
With 7,500 metric tonnes produced, more than three times the combined amount of butter produced by the US and the EU, India topped the global butter production chart. Despite not being among the top three producers, the EU produced 770 metric tonnes of milk powder, lagging behind China and New Zealand by 1,200 and 1,110 MT, respectively.