Productivity analysis: Production and distribution trends of dairy cattle in Latin American countries
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70577/asce.v5i2.768Keywords:
Latin America, Quantitative analysis, Livestock, Milk, Productivity, Animal productAbstract
Latin America and the Caribbean account for 11% of global milk production. In this region, intensification of production systems has become a strategy for increasing milk yield. The objective was to generate a productivity analysis based on quantifying production and distribution trends for dairy cattle in Latin American countries. A quantitative, qualitative, descriptive, and critical approach was used. Data were collected from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and included information from Argentina, Mexico, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, covering the period 1961–2024. An upward trend was observed among all countries during the established period, led by Argentina. In contrast, Bolivia had lower productivity in all cases. Ecuador showed greater variability and maintained its highest peak in 2015 (2490 kg/animal). Furthermore, the number of dairy animals in 2024 showed inequality among the evaluated countries, with Colombia (3.85 million animals) and Mexico (3.2 million animals) having the largest number of dairy animals. It was found that the proportion of dairy animals is not related to higher levels of productivity. The results reveal structural differences in production systems, demonstrating greater efficiency in countries with technologically advanced systems. Technological advancements should be promoted in production systems in those countries that maintain intermediate and low levels of productivity, in order to improve efficiency per animal.
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