Turkey collects 900,000+ tons milk in May

ANKARA

Turkey's integrated dairies collected 910,757 tons of cow milk in May, the country's statistical authority reported Friday.

TurkStat said the production of drinking milk totaled 142,166 tons in the same month, down 0.6% annually.

The country produced 67,534 tons of cheese, 92.2% of which was made from cow milk, with the rest produced from sheep, goat, buffalo, and mixed milk.

Yogurt production surged 3.2% year-on-year to 105,331 tons in May, as the production of ayran -- a traditional salty drink made of yoghurt and water -- totaled 54,413 tons.

The institute added that the average fat rate of cow's milk collected by integrated dairies in May was 3.4%, while the average rate of protein was 3.2%.

Last year, over 10 million tons of cow milk were collected in Turkey, with drinking milk production totaling nearly 1.7 million tons.

The country's official statistical authority will next release figures on milk and dairy products on Aug. 9.