The country’s dairy production rose by six percent year-on-year to nearly 11.8 million liters in the first quarter, keeping the sector on track for a record year driven by stronger farm productivity.

The latest Philippine Statistics Authority data (PSA) showed that domestic dairy output from January to March increased to 11.79 million liters from 11.07 million liters in the same period last year.

The value of dairy production, measured at constant 2018 prices, likewise rose by six percent to ₱449 million during the three-month period from ₱422 million a year ago.

The National Dairy Authority (NDA) said the sustained growth in dairy output reflected the industry’s expanding role in improving food security and supporting the livestock sector, which grew to ₱60.74 billion in the first quarter.

“The continued growth in the dairy sector reflects both the increasing productivity of our local dairy farmers and continued implementation of programs at the farm level,” said NDA Administrator Marcus Antonius Andaya.

Andaya noted that the expansion of the dairy sector was achieved even before the introduction of additional dairy animals into local production systems.

NDA is still awaiting the arrival of imported herds for its stock farms, aimed at strengthening the country’s breeding base and further boosting production capacity in the coming years.

Based on the current production volume, Andaya said the country’s dairy sufficiency level stood at 2.1 percent as of March, roughly within the same range as last year.

The current level is nearly halfway toward the government’s target of reaching dairy sufficiency of five percent by 2028.

For the year, NDA is targeting an increase in the domestic sufficiency level to 2.33 percent to further reduce the country’s dependence on imported dairy products.

Based on NDA data, the country’s dairy imports declined by three percent to 3.39 million metric tons liquid milk equivalent (MMT-LME) last year from 3.5 MMT-LME in 2024.

In terms of production volume, the agency is aiming for a record-high 53 million liters this year, up 22 percent from last year’s 43.3 million liters, which remains the highest annual output on record.

NDA plans to achieve this target through investments in dairy animal importation, stock farm development, and farmer support programs.

Andaya said he remains optimistic about increased demand from the expanded milk feeding program of the Department of Education (DepEd) this year, which is expected to provide more stable market demand for locally produced milk.

He added that the program would encourage dairy farmers to increase production and invest further in herd expansion and productivity improvements.