How the reduction in Greek milk producers contributed to the increase in its price

In recent years, in addition to the energy costs which contributed to the general rise in milk prices, the closure of many livestock units and the subsequent slaughter of animals plays an important role, Costas Skrekas explained in a television appearance Tuesday (5.4.2024). Thus, the general trend to reduce milk production leads to a rise in its prices, as the official figures from agro-tectoctoctoctological organisations also certify. At cow’s milk production level, according to data from ELGO-Dimitra, 652,986 tonnes were produced in 2020 from 2,443 producers. In 2021 668,350 tonnes were produced from 2,355 producers, while in 2022 production fell to 644.223 tonnes from 2,221 producers and in 2023 even more to 635,986 tonnes from 1,994 producers. The trend to reduce the number of producers, which is reflected, although not in a straightforward way, and in the quantity of milk produced, causes inverse trends in the price field: The average price of cow and buffalo milk was EUR 0,38 in 2020 , in 2021 to EUR 0,39 , in 2022 increased to EUR 0,51 and in 2023 to EUR 0,52 . As regards the matching of the number of producers with the price of sheep and goat milk in 2023, they were reduced from EUR 40.518 in 2022 to EUR 39,948 with the average price rising to EUR 1,5536 from EUR 1,2511 in 2022 . In 2021 the figures refer to 40,669 producers with an average price of EUR 0,9625. Accordingly to goat milk , 12,951 producers sold in 2023 at an average price of EUR 0,9728 , in 2022 13,062 producers sold at an average price of EUR 0,771 and in 2021 13,416 producers sold at EUR 0,5987 .