Milk, and the shortage of it

[hammerdown]

I was wondering about this subject. What is the annual consumption and production of milk? Is there a shortage, and how does the DR react to this type of shortage? If needed, where do they import milk from?
Anyone......
The reason I ask this is mountainannie posted about her bad experience with Dominican beef, and the shortage of milk here, so hopefully someone has an answer. Maybe Picardo with his/her great knowledge of the DR.......
Thanks
Hammerdown

[pi2]

Beef is excellent in the DR ;superior to many other countries. Milk there is a shortfall due to lack of investment: but many hope ivestments does not happen. As in other tropical countries it is sensible to make your own soya/bean milk and supplement diet with local cheese: this does not in general does not need planet destroying energy intensive refrigeration / transport / packaging etc.
pi2

[hammerdown]

Beef is excellent in the DR ;superior to many other countries.
pi2

This statement reflects your real knowledge of the DR.......which IMO is nada, zilch, zero.....but lets get back to the subject of the milk......thanks pi2, no need to reply anymore,

[PeterInBrat]

The vast majority of milk in the DR is imported from the US in dry form, reconstituted, then packed into tetra packs. There were several cases of food poisoning in rural schools last year where they mixed powdered milk with contaminated water. I think several kids may have died, but I forget the details.

Dairy cows tend not to do well in tropical environments. Even in the US, dairy is produced far more in northern than southern states, where beef cattle are more likely to be raised. Milk is also an energy intensive product since it's pasteurized and then chilled. In the tropics, most milk pasteurized at a higher temp so it can be put into shelf-stable tetra packs. Since the cost of energy is high in the DR, this is also inhibiting local production. Goats or water buffalo are more practical for dairy production in the tropics and are better at foraging without capital intensive inputs, but imported dry milk is much cheaper than fresh. You can sometimes see the empty cardboard shipping barrels in the DR for anhydrous milk being used as disposable trash barrels.

Beef is better in the DR than in the US?? News to me!

[Chip]

From living here and seeing what is available most Dominicans drink dried milk imported from Northern Europe.

As far as fresh milk goes, there isn't much of a demand for it based on what one sees in the stores and in fact what I've been told for the producers is that Rica and other local companies buy it up for their milk products.

[AlterEgo]

The only place I've ever seen/bought a gallon of milk in DR like we're used to in the USA was at Turay in Bonao. A couple of dairy places side by side on the highway. If you drive that highway, you owe it to yourself to stop and buy dairy products there, they're EXCELLENT!

I think it's a combination of the society not being milk drinkers, the lack of good refrigeration/electricity in many places [not everyone has inverters!], etc. that created the abundance of boxed milk. I think fresh milk would spoil quickly in stores.

Don't get me started about the un-refrigerated eggs everywhere!!!

[Frank the Tank]

Beef is excellent in the DR ;superior to many other countries. pi2

Payaso. You are just embarassing yourself.

[PeterInBrat]

Payaso. You are just embarassing yourself.

To be fair, I hear the seaweed in the DR is WAY better than in the US...

[Frank the Tank]

[RV429]

Payaso. You are just embarassing yourself.

He wasn't talking on the "hoof" was he?