Kazakhstan targets full poultry meat self-sufficiency as domestic output rises
Kazakhstan plans to replace poultry meat imports with domestic production after raising self-sufficiency from 58% to 78% over five years. New projects by Aitas and Alel Agro are expected to expand capacity, while earlier reports set 2027 as the target for full supply.
Domestic supply reaches 78%
Kazakhstan plans to meet all domestic demand for poultry meat with locally produced supplies, potentially ending the country’s reliance on imports. Deputy Agriculture Minister Azat Sultanov announced the objective at a government meeting, according to Kazinform. Earlier reports said Kazakhstan intended to become fully self-sufficient in poultry meat by 2027.
The poultry industry has moved substantially closer to that target over the past five years. Domestic production increased by 58%, while imports declined by 25%. As a result, the share of the domestic market supplied by poultry meat produced in Kazakhstan rose from 58% to 78%. The remaining gap shows that imported products still play a material role, but it is considerably smaller than five years ago.
New projects to expand production capacity
Sultanov attributed the production increase to the expansion of existing businesses and the commissioning of new capacity. The government expects further large projects to continue this process. These include a project by Aitas in the Almaty region and another by Alel Agro in the Zhambyl region. Kazinform did not report their planned production volumes, investment costs or commissioning dates.
The authorities expect the new projects to raise poultry output enough to cover the entire domestic market. Achieving that goal will depend not only on processing and growing capacity, but also on maintaining a sufficient supply of feed, breeding material and other production inputs. The government statement did not specify whether import replacement would be supported by new trade restrictions, subsidies or other measures beyond the expansion of domestic production.
Poultry forms part of a wider food policy
The poultry target is part of Kazakhstan’s broader effort to strengthen food self-sufficiency. Sultanov said the country already covers its domestic needs in the main categories of food, with self-sufficiency exceeding 80% for most basic products. The government is conducting targeted work to lift supply above 80% for poultry meat, fish, sugar, cheese and cottage cheese, sausage products and apples through higher domestic output and import substitution.
Kazakhstan is also expanding the raw-material base of its dairy sector through concessional financing for the construction of commercial dairy farms. A total of 95 farms with combined annual capacity exceeding 500,000 tonnes of milk have received financing, and 71 of them have entered operation. Another 19 farms with capacity of about 100,000 tonnes are planned to start operating by the end of the current year. For poultry producers and import suppliers, the rise in local market coverage to 78% signals a progressively more competitive domestic industry. The speed at which the remaining 22% is replaced will depend on the delivery and performance of the announced capacity projects.
