ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s dairy manufacturing output rose 11.9% in the first half of 2026. The growth is concentrated in cheese, butter and ice cream while production of processed liquid milk remained nearly unchanged, according to the latest release from the Bureau of National Statistics.
Demand for dairy products remains strong in Kazakhstan. Photo credit: stat.gov.kz
The value of manufactured dairy products reached 414.9 billion tenge (US$887.4 million). Cheese and curd output reached 30,661 tons, up 26.2% year on year. Particularly noticeable growth is recorded in hard cheese output at 56.7%.
Butter and milk-spread production rose 27% to 24,376 tons, whereas ice cream output surged 64.7% to 55,199 tons in January-June. By contrast, production of processed liquid milk and cream remained almost unchanged, up just 0.4% to 331,342 tons. Yogurt and other fermented milk and cream products grew modestly at 3.2% to 134,168 tons.
Traditional fermented dairy products showed different dynamics. Kymyz (made from mare milk) production reached 774 tons, up 36.9%, while shubat (made from camel milk) production fell 42% to 509 tons.
The latest figures continue an expansion recorded in 2025, when cheese and curd production increased 18.3%, ice cream output rose 22% and processed liquid milk and cream grew 6.2%.
Last year, Kazakhstan produced dairy products worth 705.7 billion tenge (US$1.5 billion), up from 606.4 billion tenge (US$1.3 billion) a year earlier.
Dairy manufacturing remained geographically concentrated. The Almaty, North Kazakhstan and Kostanai regions together accounted for around 45.6% of Kazakhstan’s dairy manufacturing output by value in 2025.
Trade data show that rising domestic production has not eliminated Kazakhstan’s dependence on imported dairy goods. In the first five months of this year, Kazakhstan exported 859.7 tons of cheese and curd worth $3.2 million, mainly to Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia. Smaller shipments also reached Azerbaijan and South Korea. Imports were far larger at 16,578.9 tons worth $81.7 million, primarily from Russia and Belarus.
Demand within Kazakhstan also increased. Domestic sales of cheese and curd reached 41,400 tons, up 11.2% from the same period a year earlier.
The figures may suggest that local producers are gaining ground around cheese production. However, imports still remain substantial, reflecting continued demand for foreign varieties and the scale advantage of producers in neighboring Russia and Belarus.
With ice cream, there is a different picture. In January-May, Kazakhstan exported $32.4 million worth of ice cream and other edible ice, exceeding imports of $19.4 million.
Kazakhstan became a net exporter of ice cream for the first time in 2025, as domestic production and exports reached record levels. The ice cream industry is highly concentrated, with Almaty Region producing roughly two-thirds of the national total. Cream-based ice cream and plombir dominate the product mix, accounting for more than 80% of output.
The government is also seeking foreign investment in higher-value dairy processing. On July 16, Agriculture Minister Aidarbek Saparov met executives from Greek company Desserta Hellas to discuss a potential project to localize cheese and dairy production in Kazakhstan, reported the ministry’s press service.
According to the ministry, Kazakhstan has 64 cheese producers and 182 dairy-processing enterprises with a combined annual capacity of around 2.7 million tons of milk. Saparov noted state support includes reimbursement of up to 25% of investment costs, interest-rate subsidies and working-capital financing at 5% annually.
