In the first nine months of this year, the Azores produced 5.6 million litres more than in the same period of 2016, which represents an increase of 1.19%, mentioned the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Forestry.
Between January and September, 476 million litres of milk were produced in the archipelago. The islands of São Miguel and Pico were the only ones that registered a growth in production with 2.18% and 0.81%, respectively.
In the first nine months of 2017, the island of Terceira maintained the same milk production registered in the same period of last year, 118 million litres, while production decreased on the other six islands.
If the trend is to be maintained, the Region will end this year with milk production figures close to 2015, that is, 609 million litres of milk. In 2016, the overall production stood at 602.6 million litres.
The islands of São Miguel (65%) and Terceira (25%) produce 90% of milk in the Azores.
Regarding the evolution of prices, there is an increase of 9.8% in the archipelago compared to September 2017 and September 2016.
The average milk price in force in the Region is 2.3 cents lower than the national average and 8.4 cents lower compared to the European average.