ALMATY – Kazakhstan’s ice cream production more than doubled in June compared to the same month last year, reaching nearly 20,100 tons, according to new data released by the Bureau of National Statistics. The surge comes as the country’s dairy industry continues to expand, with ice cream among the fastest-growing product categories in the first half of 2026.
Photo credit: Ministry of Agriculture.
The latest figures complement the bureau’s earlier report showing that Kazakhstan’s overall dairy manufacturing output increased by 11.9% in the first six months of the year, driven primarily by strong growth in cheese, butter and ice cream production.
June’s production was 116% higher than a year earlier and almost doubled compared to May. It also exceeded the previous June average of the past five years by 2.5 times and surpassed the previous monthly record of 10,800 tons, set in July 2016, by 85%.
The sharpest increase was recorded in plombir ice cream, a rich, high-butterfat vanilla ice cream, with production reaching 10,200 tons, 3.6 times higher than in June 2025 and nearly three times more than in May. Cream ice cream production also expanded, rising 75% year-on-year and 57% month-on-month to 7,500 tons.
The value of production also increased sharply. Enterprises engaged in ice cream manufacturing produced goods worth 24.3 billion tenge (US$45.4 million) in June, approximately doubling both year-on-year and month-on-month.
The sector has maintained strong momentum since late 2024. Production volumes have recorded annual growth every month since then, averaging 32% year-on-year throughout 2025 and accelerating to around 60% so far in 2026.
According to the Agriculture Ministry, Kazakhstan also became a net exporter of ice cream for the first time in its history last year, with exports exceeding imports.
