Kazakhstan: A Growing Market for Meat Production and Processing in Central Asia

Kazakhstan is not a typical emerging market. The country has a millennia-old tradition of livestock farming - cattle represented sustenance, currency and status symbol for its nomadic forebears. This cultural foundation is reflected today in a remarkable degree of self-sufficiency: Kazakhstan meets its domestic demand for beef, lamb and horse meat entirely from its own production². In 2025, total meat production across all species reached 1.2 million tonnes - a new record high².

At the same time, the country is opening to international markets: meat exports grew by nearly 25 per cent in the first eleven months of 2025². New markets are being actively developed in the EU, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and the Gulf states². What distinguishes Kazakhstan in this regard is that the shift is no longer solely about raw commodity exports - the government has made a clear strategic commitment to added-value processing.

Yet a gap exists between ambition and reality that is highly relevant for international technology providers. The processing sector lags considerably behind production growth. According to the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, 80 per cent of Kazakhstan's land area can be used for agricultural purposes¹³ - the potential is substantial, and so is the need for modernization in processing. This report provides an overview of production, market structure and the outlook for Kazakhstan's meat market.

The farm structure reveals a clear efficiency gap: agroholdings account for 55 per cent of national production and achieve profitability of between 18 and 22 per cent, whilst household farms - despite contributing 15 per cent of output - achieve only 5 to 8 per cent profitability⁴. The reasons lie in high levels of manual labour and a lack of own processing capacity. This structural disparity is one of the sector's central challenges - and an indicator of where investment is most urgently required.

Domestic Market, Key Players and Export Dynamics

Kazakhstan's domestic meat market is large and culturally diverse. In 2024, approximately 1.2 million tonnes of meat were consumed, with around 90 per cent sourced from domestic production⁹. Poultry and beef lead consumption, followed by horse meat - a product largely unknown in Europe but deeply embedded in Kazakhstani culture⁹. Of cultural significance is Kazy - a traditional Kazakhstani horse meat speciality regarded as a delicacy, which is now also produced and distributed in Germany¹². This underscores the export potential of Kazakhstani meat specialities on European markets¹².

Regional consumption patterns differ markedly: in the predominantly Muslim south, beef, lamb and horse meat dominate¹. The processing landscape in 2021 comprised 175 facilities for red meat, operating at an average utilisation rate of 55 per cent¹⁰.

Outlook: Strong Potential – Modernization is the Key

Kazakhstan is a meat market with solid fundamentals: production is growing, domestic supply of beef, lamb and horse meat is secured, and export momentum is building. Through its national livestock development programme 2026–2030, the Kazakhstani government has set concrete targets: total meat production across all species is to rise to 1.8 million tonnes, and meat exports are to be doubled to 165,000 tonnes². By 2028, processed food products are to account for 70 per cent of agricultural exports⁷.

Achieving these goals requires an expansion of processing infrastructure and closer collaboration with international technology providers across slaughter, cold chain and packaging⁸. The modernization need is documented, state support for imported equipment is in place⁸, and the willingness of Kazakhstani market leaders to cooperate with international technology partners has been demonstrated in practice. Kazakhstan is actively working to meet the logistical and certification requirements of European markets - demonstrating its commitment to establishing itself as a reliable export partner⁷.