Powdered milk imports reach record as Belarus sharply expands supply

Imports climb to a January–July record

Powdered milk imports reached 7,279 tonnes in January–July 2026, with a total declared value of $20.293 million, according to Apsny.ge. The publication described the volume as a record and reported that the increase was accompanied by a notable change in the structure of supply.

The figures imply an average import value of approximately $2,788 per tonne over the seven-month period. That calculation reflects the aggregate value divided by reported volume and should not be interpreted as a market quotation. Actual prices can vary substantially according to the type of milk powder, fat content, product specifications, packaging, contract terms and delivery costs.

The available source material does not provide the corresponding January–July 2025 volume or value, making it impossible to quantify the year-on-year growth rate. It also does not break the total down by month, milk powder category or supplier. Even so, the record aggregate volume indicates unusually strong purchasing during the first seven months of 2026.

Belarus reshapes the supplier mix

Apsny.ge identified sharply higher shipments from Belarus as the central change behind the new supplier structure. The report does not state Belarus’s tonnage, shipment value or share of total imports, but the characterization suggests that Belarusian producers gained ground relative to other origins.

That shift matters for dairy processors and importers because milk powder is a storable industrial input used across a range of food manufacturing activities. A larger role for one supplier can support more regular procurement and consolidated logistics, but it can also increase exposure to production conditions, transport routes, payment arrangements and regulatory decisions affecting that origin.

The reported data do not show whether the expansion was led by skimmed milk powder, whole milk powder or another concentrated milk product. This distinction is commercially important: different grades serve different buyers and can follow different international price trends. Without a product-level breakdown, the figures establish the scale of the import increase but do not reveal which processing segments generated the additional demand.

Trade implications for dairy buyers

For importers, the main near-term question is whether Belarus’s expansion represents a lasting change in sourcing or a temporary response to pricing and availability. Repeat purchases later in 2026 would provide stronger evidence that buyers have established deeper commercial relationships with Belarusian suppliers. A reversal would suggest that the January–July surge was linked to short-term contracts, inventory requirements or a temporary price advantage.

The average value implied by the aggregate figures offers a baseline for monitoring the market, although future changes could reflect both product mix and price movements. A rising value per tonne would not necessarily mean that every category became more expensive; it could also result from a greater share of higher-value powder. Conversely, lower average values could reflect a shift toward cheaper specifications rather than a broad decline in dairy prices.

The absence of detailed figures for competing origins also limits conclusions about which exporters lost share. Belarus may have displaced established suppliers, captured most of the incremental demand, or achieved both. Supplier-level customs data would be needed to distinguish among those possibilities and assess the degree of concentration in the market.

For producers and processors, the next indicators to watch are full-year import volume, Belarus’s final market share and the split between major powdered milk categories. Those details will determine whether the record represents a broad rise in dairy ingredient demand or a narrower reconfiguration of procurement. On the evidence reported by Apsny.ge, however, Belarus has already become a more important force in the market’s 2026 supply pattern.