PRODUCT CLASSIFICATION
Milk is a nutritious liquid produced by mammals that is widely consumed as a beverage or as an ingredient in various dishes and typically sold fresh, pasteurized or processed into products like cheese, yogurt and butter.
This type of drink is known for its health benefits, such as high content of calcium, protein and essential vitamins, and for its essential role in daily nutrition and food culture, because it’s the base for many dairy products in both household consumption and broader food economy and its sector supports rural and large-scale identities.
Milk is a part of Edible products of animal origin, n.e.s., a category of the Animal Products section that includes a wide range of related by-products like Milk (1%-6% Fat), Cream (<6% Fat), and Milk (<1% Fat).
It also has a Product Complexity Index of 0.068, ranking 545 out of 1044 products in 2023.
This post will not consider the Milk trade in general, but it will be focused on the Austrian market, the eighth largest exporter of this product in the world.
EXPORT
In 2023 Austria exported an amount of $512M of Milk, becoming the eighth largest exporter of this category out of 159 countries in the world, with an estimated percentage of 4.42 of share in global export; during the same year, Milk was the 97th most exported product in Austria out of 1211.
The main destinations of the country’s exports were
- Germany - $316M;
- Italy - $141M;
- Greece - $12.8M;
- Slovenia - $12.6M;
- Croatia - $5.96M.
IMPORT
In 2023 it was estimated that Austria imported around $93.2M worth of Milk, becoming the 23rd largest importer of the product in the world out of 223 countries, with a 0.8% of share in global imports; during the same year, Milk was the 375th most imported product in the country out of 1213.
It was imported primarily from
- Germany - $66M
- Netherlands - $15.7M;
- Italy - $5.58M;
- Slovakia - $1.8M;
- Slovenia - $873K.
GROWTH POTENTIAL
According to the source, between 2022 and 2023 the fastest growing markets for the category’s import and exports in Austria were the following
MARKETS FOR MILK EXPORTS
- Germany - $48.8M;
- Italy - $24.7M;
- Greece - $3.21M.
MARKETS FOR MILK IMPORTS
- Netherlands - $9.81M;
- Germany - $6.69M;
- Italy - $2.09M.
CONCLUSIONS
In 2023 Austria remained a key player in the Milk global trade, shaped by a strong tradition of family farming and a strict focus on quality, due to the fact that many of these products are produced on small, grassland-based farms, many of which are located in mountain areas and sustainable practices.
This close link between production, landscape and local communities highlights the ongoing importance of the category in the country’s culture and its potential for future growth in both domestic and international markets.
Source: https://oec.world/en
