China's dairy production will grow at a stable but slightly slower pace this year, according to a senior official with the Ministry of Agriculture.

Last year, the nation turned out 33.02 million tons of raw milk and dairy products, 3.6 times that of 2000, with an average annual growth of 23.8 percent. Cattle population amounted to 13.63 million head, up 18.6 percent annually on average.

The 2006 saw 14.6 million tons of dairy products turned out nationwide, 670 times that of 2000. The total included 12.44 million tons of milk in liquid form, 930 times that of six years ago.

Meanwhile, dairy consumption also grew, said Zhang Baowen, vice agriculture minister.

In 2006, urbanites consumed 25.54 kg of dairy products per-capita, up 76.6 percent over the 2000 level, while the per-capita dairy consumption in rural areas stood at three kg, as against one kg level in 2000.

Last year, about 60.4 percent of China's total raw milk output came from Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai municipalities and Hebei, Shanxi and Heilongjiang provinces as well as from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

(China Daily October 21, 2007)