Russia's cat and dog food exports jump a third to $101 million in early 2026
Russia raised exports of cat and dog food by 33% by volume and 1.5 times by value in January-May 2026, reaching around 42,000 tonnes worth $101 million, according to Agroexport. Belarus and Kazakhstan absorbed most of the shipments, while Serbia emerged as a new steady buyer.
Russia's pet food exports climb by a third in early 2026
Russia increased its exports of cat and dog food by 33% by volume and by 1.5 times by value in January-May 2026, reaching around 42,000 tonnes worth $101 million, the federal center Agroexport told TASS. In the same period of 2025, shipments amounted to 31,000 tonnes worth more than $66 million. The gain lifted a small but fast-expanding segment of Russia's food and agriculture exports to a new high.
Agroexport said the January-May 2026 figures do not include data from Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries for May. Even with that gap, the result marked a record value for the first five months of any year. The previous peak was set in 2022, at just over $82 million, meaning the 2026 total already exceeds the earlier high despite the missing May data for part of the region.
Buyers concentrated in nearby markets
Demand for Russian pet food stayed anchored in neighbouring countries, most of them fellow members of the EAEU or the wider Commonwealth of Independent States. According to Agroexport, the largest importers in 2026 were:
- Belarus — more than $64 million
- Kazakhstan — more than $22 million
- Uzbekistan — more than $4 million
- Azerbaijan — about $3 million
- Kyrgyzstan — more than $2 million
Belarus alone took in more than $64 million, well over half of the $101 million total, while Kazakhstan added a further $22 million. Together the two markets absorbed the clear majority of Russia's pet food shipments, underlining how tightly the trade is bound to the post-Soviet economic space. The remaining named destinations — Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan — each accounted for only a few million dollars.
A new foothold in Serbia
In 2026 Russia also began exporting pet food to Serbia on a stable basis for the first time. Shipments reached 120 tonnes over January-May, compared with just 15 tonnes for the whole of the previous calendar year. The absolute volume is still small next to the flows to Belarus or Kazakhstan, but it signals demand emerging beyond the traditional EAEU and CIS destinations and gives Russian producers a first regular customer in the Balkans.
Prices and volumes both rising
Because the value of exports grew faster than the tonnage, average prices per unit rose as well. Volumes expanded by about a third while earnings increased by half, indicating that Russian suppliers are securing higher returns per tonne even as they ship more product. That combination of larger quantities at firmer prices is unusual for a commodity-style food category and suggests the segment is maturing rather than simply riding a one-off surge.
For importers in Central Asia, Belarus and the South Caucasus, the figures point to a larger and steadier supply of retail cat and dog food from a nearby source. For Russian exporters, the record $101 million confirms pet food as one of the faster-growing niches within the country's agricultural trade, even if its customer base remains narrow and heavily weighted toward a handful of neighbouring states.
