CHINESE experts predict dairy consumption in their country will boom by 2015.
Chinese agricultural economic and trade information organisation told the US Grains Council meeting this month consumption would rise by 3.3kg a person in the next five years.
He said consumption would grow from 30.1kg a person this year up to 33.4kg a person in 2015.
In 2008 the Chinese dairy industry was hit hard when traces of a deadly chemical melamine was found in dairy products.
Two years later, industry analyst Freshlogic director Steve Spencer said Chinese dairy consumption was still recovering from this contamination scandal, which resulted in fatalities.
He said the country has looked to balance its dairy requirements with imports as it improved the quality of its own products.
Projections indicated China would import 15 per cent of its whole-milk powder requirements this year, but Mr Spencer said the test would be if this import demand would last once China's domestic production recovered.
New Zealand has the largest slice of the Chinese market, providing about three-quarters of the Asian nation's whole milk powder and some skim milk powder imports.
