Kazakhstan increased dairy product exports by 16.6%, condensed milk by 2.2 times

By the end of 2025, milk and cream production in Kazakhstan increased by 5.3% to 665.2 thousand tons.

Significant growth was seen in key processing categories:

• yogurt, kefir, and other fermented dairy products — 258.1 thousand tons (+8%)

• butter and spreads — 40.9 thousand tons (+24.8%)

• cheese and cottage cheese — 54.5 thousand tons (+13%)

Meanwhile, the production of dry and condensed milk decreased by 23.5% to 4.5 thousand tons, and milk in solid form declined by 9.8% to 4.3 thousand tons.

Condensed milk exports more than doubled

Despite the decline in production, exports of dry and condensed milk increased by 2.2 times, reaching 2.9 thousand tons, valued at $12.1 million.

The largest buyer was Russia, which imported 1.9 thousand tons for $8.1 million. Uzbekistan ranked second with 607.3 tons for $2 million.

Supplies were also made to:

• Kyrgyzstan — 206.3 tons

• China — 34.4 tons

• Tajikistan — 19 tons

• Belarus — 65 tons

• Mongolia — 8.3 tons

• USA — 142 kg

Certain destinations showed multiple growth, including Uzbekistan (+4.3 times) and the USA (+11.8 times).

Exports of milk and cream almost doubled

Milk and cream supplies increased by 1.8 times to 5.1 thousand tons, valued at $3.9 million.

The key market was Russia with a volume of 3.6 thousand tons and revenue of $2.1 million.

Significant supply growth was noted in:

• Uzbekistan — 687.2 tons (+1.6 times)

• Tajikistan — 297.7 tons (+31.4%)

• Mongolia — 16 tons (+6.9 times)

Fermented dairy products became the largest export category

The largest volume of exports was for yogurts, kefir, and ryazhenka — 17.9 thousand tons at $23.6 million, which is 24.9% higher than the previous year.

The main markets were:

• Russia — 8.2 thousand tons

• Uzbekistan — 3.6 thousand tons

• Azerbaijan — 2.2 thousand tons

• Kyrgyzstan — 1.1 thousand tons

Supplies were also made to Georgia, Mongolia, Armenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, China, and South Korea.

Exports of butter and cheese decreased

Amid the overall growth in exports, certain categories showed a decline.

The export of butter and spreads decreased by 1.7 times to 2.6 thousand tons, valued at $14.6 million. The main buyer remained Russia, accounting for 2.5 thousand tons.

Supplies of cheese and cottage cheese decreased by 21.3% to 3.1 thousand tons, valued at $10 million.

The largest market also remained Russia with a volume of 2.2 thousand tons, while exports to Armenia increased by 12.3% and to Kyrgyzstan by 0.6%.

Export growth occurs amid increased production

Overall, dairy production in Kazakhstan shows steady growth.

In particular:

• pasteurized dairy products — +33.4%

• butter — +24.8%

• cheese — +13%

• fermented dairy products — +8%