Moscow — Russia’s purchases of dairy products from Kazakhstan declined in the January-June period of 2026. Butter imports fell 2.4-fold compared with the same period last year, bringing the value of supplies down to $1.9 million.
The decline followed the suspension of certification procedures for some Kazakh dairy exporters supplying buyers in Russia.
Cheese and cream imports also declined
Russia’s imports of cheese and cottage cheese from Kazakhstan also fell by about a quarter in the first half of the year. The total value of imports in this category was $2.1 million.
Imports of condensed milk and cream fell 4.3-fold to $1.23 million.
Russia remained Kazakhstan’s main market
Despite the decline in imports, Russia remained the largest market for Kazakhstan’s exports of the dairy products concerned. Russia accounted for 94% of Kazakhstan’s butter exports in the first half of the year.
Russia’s share of Kazakhstan’s cheese and cottage cheese exports stood at 53.3% during the same period. Russia accounted for 41.1% of condensed milk exports.