Türkiye’s integrated dairies collected 903,509 tonnes of milk in September, according to a report released by the Turkish Statistical Institute on Thursday.

This marks a 14.9% increase in milk collection compared to the same month last year and a 9.8% rise for the January-to-September period year-over-year.

Dairy production also saw notable increases in September. Cheese production from cow’s milk grew by 11.6%, ayran (a traditional yogurt drink) production rose by 9.2%, yogurt production increased by 0.9%, drinking milk production climbed by 7.2%, and butter production surged by 13.9% compared to September of the previous year.

For the January-to-September period, year-over-year gains included a 6.2% increase in cheese production, a 12.9% rise in ayran production, a 7.2% growth in yogurt production, a 3.9% increase in drinking milk production, and an 11.9% increase in butter production.

Despite these annual increases, the amount of milk collected in September saw a month-to-month decrease of 3.2%, down from 933,514 tonnes in August.

The Turkish Statistical Institute’s report underscores a strong upward trend in dairy production, reflecting rising demand for dairy products across the country. (ILKHA)