Dairy producers expect sales revival after Easter

The change in consumption habits to basic products or to those with lower weight generated a 20% decline in the volume of dairy product sales in the first three months of this year, according to representatives of the Milk Industry Business Owners Association (APRIL). However, the leading producers in the dairy industry – FrieslandCampina Romania, Danone Romania, Tnuva Romania and Albalact expect sales to resume their growth rate after the Easter holidays and target a 5 to 10% rise by the end of this year, to around 1.1 billion euros. “According to our calculations, in the first two months of 2009, the market of basic dairy products (milk, plain yoghurt, sour cream, and cheese varieties) saw a decline in volume by around 3% against the same time last year, but in terms of value, it rose by around 8%,” said representatives of FrieslandCampina Romania, leader of the Romanian dairy market.