Kazakhstan’s honey exports rise from about 600 to nearly 1,500 tonnes
Kazakhstan exported nearly 1,500 tonnes of honey last year, compared with about 600 tonnes in 2024. Uzbekistan was the leading overseas market as the country’s beekeeping base and range of honey products continued to expand.
Export volume expands roughly 2.5-fold
Kazakhstan exported nearly 1,500 tonnes of honey last year, up from about 600 tonnes in 2024, according to Almaty.tv. The increase means overseas shipments expanded to roughly 2.5 times their previous level. Uzbekistan was the largest foreign market for Kazakh honey, although the report did not provide a country-by-country breakdown of sales or export values.
The rise points to a larger commercial outlet for Kazakhstan’s beekeeping industry. It also gives producers a reason to increase apiary capacity and improve the consistency of honey intended for sale outside the country. For traders and buyers, the additional volume indicates that Kazakhstan is becoming a more visible regional supplier, particularly in the Central Asian market.
Apiaries provide a base for further growth
Almaty.tv reported that the number of entrepreneurs developing beekeeping is increasing. One apiary featured by the broadcaster operates about 250–300 hives, each containing more than 14,000 bees. At the height of the season, a single hive can produce up to 30 kilograms of honey every ten days, demonstrating the output possible at established operations under favorable conditions.
Production follows the flowering period from May to September, when nectar matures in the hives. Beekeepers remove filled frames, open the wax seals and place the frames in an extractor that separates honey from the comb. Beekeeper Gennady Pakhomov told Almaty.tv that natural honey should crystallize and that producers should wait until it is properly sealed rather than extract immature nectar too early. Product maturity and handling will be important if suppliers seek repeat orders from foreign buyers.
Processors broaden the product range
Development is also taking place beyond raw honey. In the Zhetysu region, one enterprise produces 21 honey-based products. It combines natural honey with medicinal herbs and plans to expand its assortment while developing apitherapy. Entrepreneur Sungat Raiymbek said the business intends to use the region’s plants, herbs, fruits and berries to develop additional product lines.
This processing activity could help producers sell honey through more than one channel. Bulk or packaged natural honey remains the core export product, while herbal formulations and other bee-based goods offer processors scope to differentiate their output. The report did not disclose Kazakhstan’s total honey production, export prices, processing capacity or the identity of markets beyond Uzbekistan, so the durability of the increase cannot yet be measured from trade value or destination diversity. Still, growth from about 600 tonnes to nearly 1,500 tonnes gives beekeepers, processors and regional distributors a substantially larger export base than in 2024.
