Land of milk...
Photo: Index Open
And honey
Photo: Dalit Shacham
How much do Israelis spend on milk?
Israeli cow yields 11,292 liters – almost double amount produced by European cow, Central Bureau of Statistics says in figures released ahead of holiday of Shavuot. Israeli households spend NIS 309 per month on dairy products
The overall production of milk in 2009 totaled 1.3 billion liters – a 4.4% drop compared to 2008, according to figures released Monday by the Central Bureau of Statistics ahead of the Jewish Holiday of Shavuot.
The annual yield of an Israeli cow totaled 11,292 liters in 2008 – almost double the amount produced by a cow in the European Union (5,918). In the United States, an average cow yields 9,053 liters, in China – 2.754 liters, and in India – 1,109 liters.
The production of milk was 10.1% of the agricultural production, compared to 11% in 2008. This amount includes self-consumed milk, particularly in the Arab sector where the consumption of goats' milk is high. The price of pasteurized milk dropped by 1.7% in 2009.
Expensive Product
Zvi Lavi
Managers of Tara, Strauss dairies say new dairy industry law will hurt consumers
The number of cattle sheds dropped between the years 2001-2008 from 1,250 to 991 following the reform in the dairy industry. The same period saw a rise in the production of milk per cattle shed.
Honey prices down
The production in the honey industry totaled some 3,000 tons in 2009, compared to 2,500 tons in 2008. The honey was produced in some 93,000 beehives which provided most of the local demand for honey in Israel. The prices of honey dropped by 1.7% in 2009.An average Israeli household spent NIS 309 (about $82) per month on dairy products in 2008 – 2.5% of the monthly expenditure. Some NIS 55 ($15) were spent on pasteurized milk, NIS 36 ($9.5) on yogurts, NIS 36 on hard cheese, NIS 51 ($13.5) on soft white cheese, and NIS 5 ($1.5) on honey.
In 2009, the price of a carton of pasteurized milk was NIS 6.06 ($1.61), the price of 100 grams of hard cheese was NIS 4.6 ($1.22), and the price of 250 grams of soft white cheese was NIS 6.56 ($1.74).
