Overall Production of Cheese and Cottage Cheese in Kazakhstan Declines by 18.2% to 3.4 Thousand Tons

Production Details:

• Cottage Cheese:

  • Total production reached 1.8 thousand tons, including:
    • Low-fat cottage cheese – 868 tons;
    • Full-fat cottage cheese – 952 tons.

• Cheese:

  • Soft, hard, and pickled cheese – 1.2 thousand tons;
  • Processed (melted) cheese – 168 tons.

Regional Leaders in Cheese Production:

• Almaty Region – 597 tons;
• North Kazakhstan Region – 435 tons;
• Shymkent – 352 tons;
• City of Almaty – 345 tons.

In January 2025, prices for cheese and cottage cheese increased on average by 5.2% compared to January 2024. The most significant price hikes were observed in:

• Akmola Region – +13.1%;
• Zhetysu Region – +11%;
• Atyrau Region – +8.6%;
• Kyzylorda Region – +8.2%;
• Almaty – +7.9%.

The smallest price increase was recorded in the Almaty Region – only +2.9%, while some regions, such as Ulytau, North Kazakhstan, and Astana, even experienced slight price decreases (–1.5%, –0.6%, and –0.3%, respectively).

By Product Category:

• Pickled cheese – +2.5%;
• Hard cheese – +3.8%;
• Processed (melted) cheese – +8%;
• Cottage cheese (5%–9% fat) – +5%;
• Cottage cheese mass – +10.2%;
• Kurt – +10.3%.

As of February 20, 2025, the average price per kilogram of local cheese in Kazakhstan was $9.3. According to Numbeo, Kazakhstan ranked 50th out of 99 countries for cheese prices, trailing only Moldova, where the price reached $9.6 per kilogram. For comparison, the average price in Russia was $8.7, in Belarus – $6.2, and in Azerbaijan – around $5.

Between January and December 2024, domestic companies increased the self-sufficiency level in the cheese and cottage cheese market from 44.3% to 50.3%. At the same time, total domestic production grew by 10.1% to 48.3 thousand tons, while imports decreased by 13.5% to 47.8 thousand tons. Exports accounted for 4.1% of the total volume, with 3.9 thousand tons exported from Kazakhstan—a 30.4% increase compared to 2023—while domestic sales decreased by 4.1% to 92.1 thousand tons.