U.S. Dairy Export Council President and CEO Krysta Harden says Mexico remains the industry’s strongest market, while Central America, the Caribbean and Indonesia offer additional potential. “We have a lot of demand around the world,” said Harden. “I have to mention Mexico first. It’s our strongest market.” Protein demand is also supporting exports, particularly for cheese and whey. Harden says the U.S. is even exporting butterfat to Australia, traditionally a major dairy-producing country. “We’re just at the tip of the iceberg in my opinion,” said Harden. “We’ve got great product, we continue to produce, we get more and more efficient, more processing investment, more opportunities for U.S. dairy.” Looking longer term, Harden sees West Africa as another potential growth market as its population and middle class expand.
