Dairy output rises to record 43 million liters

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February 3, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s dairy output last year rose by 12 percent on an annual basis to over 43 million liters, the highest on record, as local herd expanded coupled with better animal management.

Domestic dairy output in 2025 reached 43.3 million liters, up from the 38.6 million liters recorded in 2024, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. This is the first time that local milk production breached the 43-million liter mark, based on PSA data.

The National Dairy Authority (NDA) attributed the production growth to its development programs particularly in animal nutrition, herd expansion and farm management.

“The substantial growth in dairy output in 2025 was achieved despite the absence of dairy animal importation, demonstrating the effectiveness of the National Dairy Authority’s dairy development programs,” NDA administrator Marcus Antonius Andaya said yesterday.

Andaya noted that carabao milk output expanded by 24 percent thanks to contributions of the Philippine Carabao Center, while increases in the output of cattle milk (four percent) and goat milk (27 percent) were supported by programs under the NDA’s oversight.

Beyond government interventions, the five percent increase in the total dairy herd last year to 161,868 heads from 154,252 also contributed to the higher milk production, Andaya said.

Andaya pointed out that the latest production figures translated to a 2.22-percent dairy self-sufficiency for the country, up from the 1.66-percent level in 2024.

Despite the increase, the NDA missed its 2.5-percent dairy milk self-sufficiency goal for 2025.

Nevertheless, Andaya said the increase in dairy self-sufficiency level last year brings the country closer to NDA’s five percent milk sufficiency by 2028.

The NDA plans to achieve its dairy self-sufficiency goal through herd expansion, milk yield improvements via proper nutrition management, minimizing farm risks, boosting market demand and improving consumer awareness.

For the longest time, the Philippines has been virtually importing all of its dairy requirements due to insufficient domestic output.