China's dairy production will grow at a stable but slightly
slower pace this year, according to a senior official with the
Ministry of Agriculture.
Last year, the nation turned out 33.02 million tons of raw milk
and dairy products, 3.6 times that of 2000, with an average annual
growth of 23.8 percent. Cattle population amounted to 13.63 million
head, up 18.6 percent annually on average.
The 2006 saw 14.6 million tons of dairy products turned out
nationwide, 670 times that of 2000. The total included 12.44
million tons of milk in liquid form, 930 times that of six years
ago.
Meanwhile, dairy consumption also grew, said Zhang Baowen, vice
agriculture minister.
In 2006, urbanites consumed 25.54 kg of dairy products
per-capita, up 76.6 percent over the 2000 level, while the
per-capita dairy consumption in rural areas stood at three kg, as
against one kg level in 2000.
Last year, about 60.4 percent of China's total raw milk output
came from Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai municipalities and Hebei,
Shanxi and Heilongjiang provinces as well as from Inner Mongolia
Autonomous Region.
(Xinhua News Agency October 20, 2007)
