Colombian milk consumption reaches 168 liters as income gap persists
Milk consumption in Colombia has risen to 168 liters per person, but access remains uneven across income groups. With national output reaching a two-decade high in 2025, Fedegán is proposing public procurement and a tripartite fund to support low-income consumers and absorb surplus milk.
Consumption rises, but access remains uneven
Milk consumption in Colombia has reached 168 liters per person, DairyNews.today reported, marking an increase in a market where large differences between income groups persist. Fedegán, Colombia’s cattle farmers’ federation, has continued to highlight the uneven access to processed milk and other dairy products.
Earlier estimates cited by the federation put annual processed milk consumption at 28 liters per person in the lowest-income stratum and 179 liters in the highest. Those figures illustrate the historical scale of the disparity rather than providing an updated measurement for 2026. Even so, the gap remains central to the industry debate because national availability is increasing faster than purchasing power among some households.
Record output increases pressure on processing
Colombia produced 8.405 billion liters of milk in 2025, according to Fedegán. It was the highest annual volume recorded in the country during the past two decades. The expansion raises a practical question for producers and processors: how to convert the available raw milk into products that can be sold consistently in domestic or other markets.
Processing capacity is an important part of that equation. Fedegán has called for greater capacity to manufacture milk powder, which would give the industry another way to handle periods of high supply. Colombia’s established regional cheese industry also offers an outlet for adding value beyond sales of liquid milk. Both options require reliable collection, formal processing and sufficient commercial demand.
Industry seeks publicly funded demand
Fedegán has renewed its proposal for a tripartite fund involving the state, producers and dairy companies. The federation says the mechanism could finance dairy products for low-income groups while helping the market absorb milk during periods of excess supply or weaker demand. The proposal is among the measures intended to increase consumption in the first and second socioeconomic strata.
The federation is also advocating a larger role for milk and dairy products in publicly funded food programs. Potential channels include the School Feeding Program, early-childhood initiatives, community kitchens and food rations distributed by state institutions. Public procurement could therefore pursue two objectives: improving access to dairy nutrition and creating additional demand for Colombian production.
Implementation will determine market impact
Milk consumption has also entered the government’s agenda under President Abelardo De La Espriella, who has led the executive since August 2026, according to the Presidency information cited in the source material. Issues raised by the government include milk prices, production costs and the role of imports. These factors will influence the competitiveness of domestic processors and the prices paid to farmers.
The impact of the industry’s proposals will depend on their design, financing and execution. Public purchases would need clear product specifications, budgets and distribution channels, while a tripartite fund would require agreement on contributions and when support should be activated. For producers, the immediate priority is securing stable outlets for a record volume of milk. For processors, the opportunity lies in expanding formal sales of liquid milk, powder and cheese without creating inventories that the domestic market cannot absorb.
