Import Statistics - January-March 2007

Below please find the Statistics of Imports of Cheese and other Dairy Products, subject to licensing requirements and not subject to licensing requirements, January - March, 2007, which have been compiled by the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service.  As the statistics indicate, during the first quarter of 2007, total imports of quota cheese were 24,389,799 kilograms as compared to 27,304,758 kilograms during the first three months of 2006, representing a 10.7% decrease as compared to the previous year.  As compared to two years ago, when imports of quota cheese totaled 35,027,345 kilograms, imports are down by just over 30%.

Total quota cheese imports for March 2007 were 8,794,872 kilograms, up 5.5% from March 2006’s total of 8,337,277 kilograms.

In the case of the five non-cheese dairy products which are subject to licensing requirements (i.e., butter, dried skim milk, dried whole milk, dried buttermilk/whey and butter substitutes), overall imports for the five categories rose by 37.9% in the first quarter of 2007 to 2,836,206 kilograms, as compared to 2,057,203 kilograms during the same period a year ago.  As compared to two years ago, when imports of the five non-cheese dairy products totaled 4,826,056 kilograms, imports are down 41.2%.

Imports of cheese and other dairy products subject to tariff rate quotas at the over-quota duty rate, referred in the attached chart as “high-tier” imports, grew during the first quarter of 2007.  As the statistics indicate, during the first three months of this year high-tier imports rose to 4,532,455 kilograms, representing a 17.1% increase as compared to the first quarter of 2006 when high-tier imports totaled 3,871,871 kilograms.  The increase was due primarily to a substantial increase in imports of both American-Type cheese and Italian-Type cheese.

Please click here for statistics. (1216 K)