Kyrgyzstan’s cheese and curd imports rise 51.4% in January-May 2026

Import volume reaches 2,500 tonnes

Kyrgyzstan imported 2,500 tonnes of cheese and curd products in January-May 2026, an increase of 51.4% from the same period a year earlier, Tazabek reported, citing data from the National Statistical Committee. The figures point to a rapid expansion in the volume of foreign dairy products entering the Kyrgyz market during the first five months of the year.

The value of imports increased by 39.9% to $9.6 million. In January-May of the previous year, Kyrgyzstan imported 1,600 tonnes valued at $6.9 million. Import volume therefore grew faster than expenditure, indicating that the average declared value per tonne was lower than a year earlier. Based on the reported totals, the average was about $3,840 per tonne in 2026, compared with roughly $4,313 per tonne in the previous period. The source did not provide a breakdown by cheese type, curd product, packaging format or price segment.

Russia expands its dominant position

Russia supplied 1,341 tonnes worth $4.5 million, accounting for 54.2% of Kyrgyzstan’s total import volume. Russian shipments increased by 80.5% from 743 tonnes a year earlier. This gain was considerably faster than the overall market increase and strengthened Russia’s position as the country’s principal external supplier of cheese and curd.

The Russian volume alone represented more than half of all imports and about 53.7% of the net year-on-year increase in Kyrgyzstan’s imported tonnage. Its reported average value was approximately $3,356 per tonne, although the available data do not show whether changes in product mix, contract prices or logistics costs affected that figure. For Kyrgyz importers and distributors, the scale of Russian supply makes developments in that market particularly relevant to availability and procurement conditions.

Supplier mix shifts across the region

Belarus increased its deliveries by 30.5%, according to Tazabek, although the publication did not specify the country’s tonnage or shipment value. Iran recorded the fastest proportional growth among the suppliers for which volumes were disclosed: its exports to Kyrgyzstan rose 3.8-fold, from 36 tonnes to 137 tonnes. Iran nevertheless remained a relatively small supplier, accounting for about 5.5% of total imports in January-May 2026.

Kazakhstan moved in the opposite direction. Its shipments fell 6.1-fold, from 122 tonnes to 20 tonnes, leaving it with less than 1% of Kyrgyzstan’s imported volume. The contrasting results show that the 2026 increase was not evenly distributed among suppliers. Russia generated most of the additional volume disclosed in the statistics, Iran expanded from a low base, Belarus recorded moderate growth, and Kazakhstan lost share. For domestic dairy processors, the 51.4% rise means stronger competition from imported cheese and curd; for wholesalers and retailers, it broadens available supply but also increases exposure to production, pricing and transport conditions in the main supplying countries.