436.73 euros per tonne: average purchase price of milk fell last year
According to Statistics Estonia, 859,600 tonnes of milk were purchased from Estonian agricultural producers in 2023, for which farmers were paid nearly 375 million euros. The average purchase price for the year was 436.73 euros per tonne, 5.8% lower than a year earlier.
Milk production accounts for about a quarter of the value of Estonia's agricultural output and therefore has a significant impact on the economic situation of Estonian agricultural producers.
Anton Kardakov, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, pointed out that in December 2022, the purchase price of milk was higher than ever – 544.15 euros per tonne. "At the beginning of 2023, the purchase price started to drop, reaching its lowest level of the year in August at 397.31 euros per tonne. In the second half of the year, the price rose again and in December milk producers were paid 426.87 euros per tonne," Kardakov added.
For years, the purchase price of milk in Estonia has been following the trend in the European Union (EU) countries and has depended largely on the situation on the external market and on foreign demand, as a considerable share of Estonian milk and dairy products is exported. The milk purchase price in Estonia is consistently lower than the EU average, standing 7% below the average in December 2023. The average purchase price of milk in the EU countries in December last year is expected to be 461.4 euros per tonne. In comparison with neighbouring countries, the average milk purchase price in Estonia is higher than in Latvia and Lithuania, but significantly lower than in Finland.
The quantity of milk purchased from agricultural producers increased by 7.5% over the year, the highest amount in recent decades. Preliminary data for 2023 show that of the milk purchased, 231,000 tonnes of various dairy products were produced, including 104,000 tonnes of drinking milk, 50,500 tonnes of cheese and curd, 36,000 tonnes of fermented milk products and 4,700 tonnes of butter products.
See also the agriculture section on our website.
More detailed data have been published in the statistical database.
When using Statistics Estonia’s data and graphs, please indicate the source.
For further information:
Helen Maria Raadik
Media Relations Manager
Marketing and Dissemination Department
Statistics Estonia
Tel +372 625 9181
press [at] stat.ee (press[at]stat[dot]ee)