Kazakhstan expands cheese and cottage cheese exports to Azerbaijan and South Korea
Kazakhstan produced 25,700 tonnes of cheese and cottage cheese in January–May 2026, up 28% year on year. Exports reached about 900 tonnes as suppliers entered Azerbaijan and South Korea, while imports declined by 9.2%.
Production rises by 5,600 tonnes
Kazakhstan produced 25,700 tonnes of cheese and cottage cheese in January–May 2026, an increase of 28% from the same period of 2025, Kazinform reported, citing the Bureau of National Statistics. The year-on-year gain amounted to 5,600 tonnes, indicating a substantial expansion in domestic dairy processing during the first five months of the year.
The latest figures follow even faster growth at the start of 2026. Output in the first three months was 38.8% higher than in the corresponding period of the previous year. The moderation from that first-quarter rate still left January–May production well above its 2025 level.
The increase gives processors more product to serve a growing domestic market while developing sales abroad. It also strengthens the position of local suppliers against imported cheese and cottage cheese, whose volumes fell by 9.2% year on year during the reporting period.
Export geography widens
Kazakh producers exported about 900 tonnes of cheese and cottage cheese in January–May 2026. Russia, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia remained established destinations for the country’s dairy products, while shipments to Uzbekistan and Mongolia recorded strong growth, according to Kazinform.
Producers also entered two new markets: Azerbaijan and the Republic of Korea. Azerbaijan extends Kazakhstan’s commercial reach in the Caucasus, while South Korea adds a more distant Asian destination to an export portfolio previously concentrated mainly in nearby Eurasian markets.
The available data do not specify shipment volumes or values for individual destinations. The 900 tonnes exported represented only a limited share of the 25,700 tonnes produced, leaving the domestic market as the main outlet. Even so, access to new destinations provides processors and traders with additional channels as production capacity and output increase.
Domestic sales and prices
Domestic sales of cheese and cottage cheese reached 41,400 tonnes in the first five months of 2026, 11.2% more than in the same period of 2025. The sales figure exceeds domestic production for the period because the market also includes imported goods and may reflect differences in stock movements and statistical coverage.
Rising output, lower imports and higher sales point to a larger role for Kazakh processors in supplying local demand. For producers, the central challenge will be balancing the much larger domestic market with export development, particularly when new destinations require logistics, certification and stable commercial volumes.
Retail prices varied widely across the country. In June 2026, the average price of cottage cheese was 2,457 tenge per kilogram. Petropavlovsk recorded the lowest city average at 1,661 tenge per kilogram, while Zhezkazgan had the highest at 3,060 tenge. That range highlights regional differences in supply, distribution costs and market conditions as national production continues to rise.
