Volume of cheese produced in the Netherlands 2008-2019
Between 2008 and 2019, each year the Netherlands produced between 700,000 and 900,000 kilograms of cheese. Production volumes initially peaked in 2016, after which it fell again slightly. In 2019, the most recent available year, the production volume was meaured at a record-high 897,405 metric tons. According to a recent forecast, cheese production in the Netherlands is expected to increase in the near future. By 2025, the production of cheese in the country is expected to reach nearly one billion kilograms.
Cheese exports
Although the Dutch are enthusiastic cheese consumers, eating roughly 22 kilograms of cheese per capita per year, it is impossible for a country of some 17 million inhabitants to eat all that cheese by itself. Most of the cheese produced in the Netherlands is therefore exported abroad. In 2019, the most important trading partner for cheese was neighboring country Germany. That year, nearly 284 million kilograms of cheese were exported to Germany.
Where does the cheese go?
Most of the Dutch cheese exports were destined for other European countries, but a considerable share of the cheese produced in the Netherlands was also exported to Japan and the United States. Exports to Japan accounted for roughly four percent of all Dutch cheese exports, whereas two percent of exported cheese was shipped to the United States.
Cheese exports
Although the Dutch are enthusiastic cheese consumers, eating roughly 22 kilograms of cheese per capita per year, it is impossible for a country of some 17 million inhabitants to eat all that cheese by itself. Most of the cheese produced in the Netherlands is therefore exported abroad. In 2019, the most important trading partner for cheese was neighboring country Germany. That year, nearly 284 million kilograms of cheese were exported to Germany.
Where does the cheese go?
Most of the Dutch cheese exports were destined for other European countries, but a considerable share of the cheese produced in the Netherlands was also exported to Japan and the United States. Exports to Japan accounted for roughly four percent of all Dutch cheese exports, whereas two percent of exported cheese was shipped to the United States.
