The total volume of milk production on family-run farms in 2021 fell by 15.9 percent year-on-year, and the quantity of milk bought up from those farms dropped by 15 percent, state agency Hina said on Friday, citing a report released by the state statistics bureau.

Last year the total production of milk at family farms from cows, sheep and goats amounted to 363,500 tons, which is about 69,000 tonnes or 15.9 percent down from 2020. The largest portion of that milk, 221,700 tons, was sold to dairies, which was 15 percent or about 39,000 tonnes less than in 2020.

Direct sales of milk also decreased by 4.3 percent to 21,800 tons.

Consumption of fresh milk in households decreased by 12.9 percent to 31,000 tons and the total quantity of milk used for livestock feeding decreased by 24.5 percent to 48,100 tons. The quantity of milk processed at family farms dropped by 16.4 percent year-on-year to 39,100 tons.

Also, the production of fresh cheese contracted by 13.4 percent to 2,537 tons and the production of other cheeses by 11.2 percent to 1,123 tons. The production of cream also fell, by 21.2 percent to 854 tons, butter by 9.1 percent to 30 tons and other products like yoghurt or sour milk by 16.6 percent to 317 tons.

Hina did not offer any explanation for these drops.