Butter Stocks in Russia Increase by 92% Amid Production Decline

The key factor behind the growth in warehouse stocks has been a decrease in consumption. By the end of 2025, butter consumption decreased by 5.9%, to 423 thousand tons.

Against this backdrop, stocks at dairy processing enterprises rose sharply by 92% at the beginning of February 2026, reaching 31.1 thousand tons.

A similar trend is observed in related categories. Margarine and spread production decreased by 23.8% in January 2026, to 39.1 thousand tons. Consumption of these products by the end of 2025 decreased by 3.7%, to 424.9 thousand tons.

Meanwhile, stocks of margarine and spreads, on the contrary, decreased by 56%, to 7.1 thousand tons, indicating a different demand structure in the fats segment.

According to analysts, the increase in stocks also affects other dairy product categories.

The most noticeable increases were recorded in:

• skimmed milk powder — +96%,
• butter — +92%,
• whey powder — +81%,
• cheese — +35%.

At the same time, a decrease in stocks was noted for margarine and spreads (-56%) and ice cream (-17%).