Dairy product prices inch higher as milk fats gain while milk powders fall
Buyers not feeling the urgent need to buy product.
Buyers not feeling the urgent need to buy product.
Dairy product prices edged higher at the GlobalDairyTrade auction, rising for the second time in six auctions, as gains in milk fats offset a decline in milk powders.
The GDT price index rose 0.3% from the previous auction three weeks ago to $US3323. Some 33,501 tonnes of product was sold, up from 32,260 tonnes at the previous auction.
Whole milk powder dropped 1.6% to $US3100 a tonne.
Whole milk powder "offer volumes are set to increase over the next few events, so buyers are unlikely to feel an urgent need to buy product now," AgriHQ dairy analyst Susan Kilsby says.
Lactose rose 5.1% to $US791 a tonne, while butter climbed 3.8% to $US5954 a tonne, and anhydrous milk fat gained 3.6% to $US6402 a tonne.
Cheddar increased 2.5% to $US4118 a tonne and rennet casein added 1.2% to $US6316 a tonne.
Bucking the trend, butter milk powder dropped 10.1% to $US2026 a tonne, while skim milk powder fell 1.2% to $US1944 a tonne.
"The dairy commodity market remains focused on the volume of skim milk powder that is in public storage in Europe," Ms Kilsby says. "Product has started to flow back into the intervention scheme before it closes at the end of the month."
The New Zealand dollar last traded at 72.56USc at 11.46am in New York, compared with 71.62USc at 5pm in Wellington yesterday.
There were 140 winning bidders out of 173 participating at the 15-round auction. The number of qualified bidders rose to 537, up from 522 at the previous auction.
(BusinessDesk)