Kazakhstan takes multiple measures to accelerate breaking away from food import dependency.

In 2025, Kazakhstan experienced a bountiful harvest with a total output exceeding 27.1 million tons. The output of oilseed crops reached 4.8 million tons for the first time, and potato production reached 2.9 million tons, an increase of 300,000 tons from the previous year. The production of grains, legumes, oilseeds, and vegetables has fully met domestic demand and has created export potential. In the first 11 months, cheese and yogurt production grew by 8.7% to 48,500 tons, sugar grew by 18% to 142,200 tons, poultry meat grew by 3.3% to 337,100 tons, sausage products grew by 6.9% to 71,700 tons, and fish products grew by 9.5% to 65,200 tons. To completely eliminate reliance on imports, several key projects are being implemented: · In the poultry sector, by 2028, 8 large-scale projects will be completed with a total investment of 167.9 billion tenge, with an annual production capacity of 241,000 tons of poultry meat. · In the sugar industry, in 2026, the construction of the Zhongkai Guoyuan (Anhui) sugar factory in Zhambyl Region will begin, with a daily processing capacity of 8,000 tons; in Almaty Region, a joint venture with "Qazaq Arab Sugar" investors will build the first phase of a factory with the same production capacity. · In the dairy and meat processing sectors, in 2026, 10 dairy projects (investment of 35.1 billion tenge) and 14 meat processing projects (investment of 32.8 billion tenge) will be implemented. · In the raw material base construction, financing will be used to build 95 commercial dairy farms, with an annual total production capacity of 540,000 tons of dairy products, of which 53 have already been put into operation. To support local production, domestic trade entities must provide at least 30% of shelf space for local food and non-food goods, and this requirement has been expanded to approximately 760,000 business entities. Exports of agro-industrial complex products have continued to grow. Exports of plant cultivation reached $2.3 billion, an increase of 41.2%; livestock exports increased by 25.7% to $222.6 million. The main markets include Central Asia, China, Russia, the Middle East, and Europe. To further expand exports, foreign trade logistics infrastructure is being improved, export support tools are being expanded, and conditions are being created for product promotion through the Eurasian Economic Union free trade agreement. Since the beginning of the year, approximately 119 billion tenge in support has been provided to exporters of agro-industrial products. In addition, the prices of socially important food items in the domestic market have stabilized. The average price index over the past six weeks has remained at zero, mainly achieved through measures such as setting price caps, prohibiting the export of live animals, and imposing beef export quotas. These measures have laid a solid foundation for Kazakhstan to improve food security, ensure domestic market supply, and enhance export competitiveness.