Demineralized Whey Powder Monthly Update 2025-11

The Agrocomplex named after N. I. Tkachev increased its cheese production by 32% in 2025, reaching 15.1 thousand tons, driven by expanded capacities for semi-hard and hard cheeses. The cheese factory 'Cheese of Kuban' produced 25.3 thousand tons of dairy products in total, a 27% increase from the previous year. The plant processed 125 thousand tons of milk and now has the capacity to produce 36 tons of semi-hard and hard cheeses daily, along with up to 6.2 thousand tons of dry milk demineralized whey annually. Utilizing robotic technologies, the factory offers 101 cheese varieties under the 'Nikolaevsky Cheese Factories' brand. The Agrocomplex integrates 28 agricultural enterprises and 550 retail stores, covering animal husbandry, crop production, processing, and food product manufacturing.

In December 2025, the average price of fresh milk in China's top producing provinces remained steady at 3.03 yuan/kg, unchanged from November but down 2.6% year-on-year. Feed raw material prices showed mixed trends, with corn prices stable month-on-month but up 4.7% year-on-year, and soybean meal prices rising slightly by 0.3% month-on-month. Dairy product output for 2025 totaled 2,950.3 million tons, marking a 1.1% decline compared to 2024, while national milk output increased marginally by 0.3% to 4,091 million tons. Key industry players advanced new initiatives: Yili launched a nutrition-focused public welfare project, Mengniu introduced innovative deep-processed dairy products under its 'Milk Cube' project, and Junlebao expanded its yogurt brand stake and prepared to start production at its new Jiangmen factory in April 2026. Additionally, Wanda Dairy rolled out customized fresh milk in over 1,800 7-Eleven stores in Guangdong, targeting convenient consumption. Internationally, milk powder prices declined in December 2025, reflecting global market pressures.

Semikarakorsky Cheese Plant, one of the largest cheese producers in Russia's Rostov region, aims to sustain a 3-4% production growth in 2026, continuing a trend observed over recent years. The plant produced over 11,000 tons of cheese by the end of 2024, processing 170,000 tons of raw milk, with similar output levels expected for 2025. Facing a competitive and saturated cheese market and raw material challenges in southern Russia, the company plans to boost exports, particularly of demineralized dry milk whey, by expanding shipments to Armenia and entering new foreign markets. Financially, the plant reported revenues of 11.9 billion rubles and a net profit of 345.1 million rubles in 2024.