Kazakhstan butter output rises 47.4% as import share falls to 13.9%

Butter production accelerates

Kazakhstan produced 13,800 tonnes of butter with a fat content of no more than 85% during January-April 2026, an increase of 47.4% from the same period of 2025, Kapital.kz reported, citing the press service of the Bureau of National Statistics. The expansion continued a positive production trend that was maintained throughout the first four months of the year.

The increase indicates that domestic processors are supplying a substantially larger share of Kazakhstan’s butter requirements. A total of 15,700 tonnes was sold on the domestic market over the four-month period. Imported butter represented 13.9% of that market, leaving locally produced goods as the dominant source of supply.

Exports rise, but remain a small part of output

Kazakhstan exported 394.1 tonnes of butter in January-April, up 40.4% from 280.7 tonnes a year earlier. Russia, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan and Belarus were the principal destinations. Despite the strong growth rate, exports were equivalent to less than 3% of the country’s reported butter production, showing that the recent output increase was directed mainly toward domestic buyers.

Imports reached 2,242.2 tonnes during the same period, with Belarus and Iran identified as the main suppliers. The import volume remained considerably larger than exports, although its 13.9% market share points to a relatively high level of domestic coverage. For regional traders, the combination of rising Kazakh output and limited export volumes suggests that immediate competition will be strongest within Kazakhstan, while neighboring markets may receive additional supply only as processors build volumes beyond local demand.

Broader growth in food-oil and dairy capacity

The production increase was not limited to butter. Kazakh enterprises manufactured 335,500 tonnes of refined and unrefined sunflower oil in January-April 2026, 13.2% more than in the corresponding period of the previous year. The parallel growth in dairy fat and vegetable oil gives processors and distributors a broader domestic supply base across two important food categories.

Additional dairy investment could reinforce that trend. Kapital.kz reported that Kazakh producer Milkart intends to supply dairy products to neighboring countries. An Iranian holding company also plans to build a cheese plant in the Almaty region for 35 billion tenge, with annual capacity of 155,000 tonnes. Separately, the AzNur Agro agricultural cooperative has commissioned a modern dairy farm in the Zhambyl region through an investment project valued at 1.8 billion tenge. These projects do not directly determine butter output, but they show continued investment in milk production and processing infrastructure. For producers and traders, the main question is whether the rapid increase in domestic butter supply can be sustained and converted into larger regional sales after Kazakhstan’s home market is served.