CWT-Assisted Exports Approach 90 Million Pounds in 2012
May 3, 2012
In April, Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) accepted 55 requests for export assistance from member cooperatives accounting for nine million pounds of Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, and 7.5 million pounds of butter. This brought the totals for the first four months of 2012 to 46.9 million pounds of cheese, and 40.8 million pounds of butter. That is the equivalent of 1.322 billion pounds of milk on a milkfat basis, or the annual production of nearly 63,000 cows.
CWT also decided last month to expand the products for which it will consider providing export assistance. Whole milk powder (WMP) and anhydrous milk fat (AMF) bids will be considered moving forward. As with butter and cheese, neither Mexico nor Canada is eligible as a destination for the two new product categories.
As with all the requests for assistance that CWT receives from member cooperatives, a thorough analysis of the WMP and AMF bids submitted will be done, based on market fundamentals. If the level of assistance requested is economically justified, CWT will accept the bid. If not, CWT makes a counter offer for the member cooperative to either accept or decline. Of the 397 requests for assistance submitted, 286 were accepted by CWT, either initially, or after counter offers from member cooperatives.
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