Volume of cheese produced in the Netherlands 2008-2021

Between 2008 and 2021, the cheese production in the Netherlands grew. In 2020, the production volume was meaured at a record-high 973 thousand metric tons. According to a recent forecast, cheese production in the Netherlands is expected to increase in the near future. By 2025, the production of cheese in the country is expected to reach nearly one billion kilograms.
 Cheese exports 
Although the Dutch are enthusiastic cheese consumers, eating roughly 26 kilograms of cheese per capita per year, it is impossible for a country of some 17 million inhabitants to eat all that cheese by itself. Most of the cheese produced in the Netherlands is therefore exported. In 2021, the most important trading partner for cheese was neighboring country Germany. That year, nearly 304 million kilograms of cheese were exported to Germany.
Where does the cheese go?
Most of the Dutch cheese exports were destined for other European countries, but a considerable share of the cheese produced in the Netherlands was also exported to Japan and South Korea. Exports to Japan accounted for roughly three percent of all Dutch cheese exports, whereas two percent of exported cheese was shipped to South Korea.