Booming South Island milk production will prop up Fonterra’s national collection this year as the North Island wilts from lack of rain in the season’s home straight reports Business Day. The giant global dairy exporter, which collects 92 per cent of the country’s milk and earns 25 per cent of NZ’s export returns, said with the end of the 2009-10 season approaching, South Island milk production was 9 per cent up on last season, while the North Island was 1 per cent behind.

Overall, Fonterra suppliers’ national milk production is currently around 2 per cent ahead of last year’s 1.3 billion litres, said Fonterra general manager, milk supply, Tim Deane. But for some North Island dairy farmers hoping to use Fonterra’s projected $6-plus/kg milksolids payout this season to recover from previous drought and last year’s recession-squeezed payout, that overall 1 per cent North Island dip skates over some ugly figures.

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27 October 2009 New Zealand’s fluid milk production is predicted to rise by 9.6 per cent to 16.6 million tons, a US government report has said. The increase is due to an increase in cow numbers coupled with a reasonably good growing season, the report added. In 2010 fluid milk production is expected to increase by 2.5 per cent to 17 million tons in 2009-2010 reports FLEXNEWS.

The report stated that Whole Milk Powder (WMP) production is also predicted to increase by 16 per cent compared to the previous year to 754,000 tons in 2008-2009. In 2009-2010 WMP production, could reach 800,000 tons. New Zealand butter production is estimated at 428,000 tons in 2008-2009 an increase of 2 per cent on the previous year.

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