New Outlets For Casein And Milk Powders

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30448, 23 May 1964, Page 14

New Outlets For Casein And Milk Powders

The quantity of New Zealand dairy produce which had been sold in markets outside the United Kingdom had increased in the last two years from about 70,000 tons to more than 100,000 tons a year, the director of marketing of the Dairy Board (Mr S. T. Murphy) said at the dairy, section of the farmers’ conference held at Lincoln College. Mr Murphy said.the greater part of this expansion had occurred in the non-fat solids, chiefly milk powders and casein. The growth in the butter and cheese trade with markets other than the United Kingdom was relatively modest, butter u ales having moved from 10.000 tons to 14.000 tons in the last two years and cheese from 9000 tons to 13,000 tons.

There was scope, however, for continued expansion in and diversification of the butterfat products, particularly cheese, demand for which was growing in almost all major markets under the stimulus of an increasing variety of forms and types. “It is likely that trade in non-fat solids, which have freer access to markets, will continue to expand more rapidly than the butter and cheese trades, and that the values of skimmed milk powder and casein will improve, relative to the values of the fat products. No Doubt “There is no doubt about our ability to share in this expansion. Our casein exports have grown in the last six years from 14,000 to 40,000 tons, and we are now easily, the world’s largest supplier, with a trade that is now worth

about £6 million annually. The uses of casein are becoming increasingly diversified, especially in the edible field, and the work being done by the New Zealand industry on these and other milk proteins holds much promise,” he said.

“Our export sales of-skim milk powder in the season now ending will total about 60,000 tons, representing a value at current prices of about £4J million. This trade is also expanding rapidly, and is widely diversified. The magnitude of the growth in these non-fat milk products is seen in the fact that the weight of the nonfat solids of milk exported in New Zealand milk powder and casein is now nearly four times the weight of milk, solids-not-fat exported in New Zealand cheese. The export earnings of these relatively new industries, exceeding £lO million a year, are at least double the total value of New Zealand’s export of secondary manufactured goods,” said Mr Murphy.