The price of lamb in Kazakhstan for 2025 has risen by 29%, and the cost of one tonne of meat has reached 1.3 million tenge. At the same time, the country is increasing exports of the product to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where demand for halal meat remains high.
HOW SHEEP FARMING HAS CHANGED IN KAZAKHSTAN
According to the Bureau of National Statistics, as reported by EconomyKZ, by March 2026 Kazakhstan is home to 23.17 million sheep and goats. For comparison: at the end of 1975, this figure stood at 34.6 million head.
During the Soviet period, Kazakhstan was considered one of the largest sheep-farming republics of the USSR. In the 1970s, plans were also considered to increase the livestock to 50 million head, but these targets were not achieved.
HOW LAMB PRICES HAVE CHANGED
According to official statistics, a tonne of lamb in Kazakhstan now costs 1.3 million tenge, compared to 88,300 tenge in 2001. Thus, over 25 years, the cost has increased more than 14-fold.
The average price of a live sheep in March 2026 was 86,300 tenge. The highest prices were recorded in the Zhambyl Region — over 112,000 tenge per head. In the West Kazakhstan Region (WKR), the cost is around 63,500 tenge.
The article also notes that maintaining one sheep costs approximately 9,000 tenge per month, and annual expenses exceed 100,000 tenge. At the same time, the payback period for a farm with 400 head can exceed three years.
WHY EXPORT AFFECTS THE DOMESTIC MARKET
Kazakhstan is actively supplying lamb to the UAE. Every week, around 7 tonnes of chilled lamb is sent to the emirates, and in the future, supply volumes could increase to 10 tonnes per week.
For 2025 as a whole, Kazakhstan's exports to the UAE amounted to $132.9 million, with approximately 55% of food exports consisting of lamb.
The publication notes that the countries of the Persian Gulf import up to 85–90% of their food, and demand for halal meat products remains stable.
WHY PRICES WITHIN THE COUNTRY REMAIN HIGH
Independent expert Yerlan Karimov attributes the high cost of lamb to several factors. These include rising prices for feed, fuel and logistics, as well as the domestic market's dependence on intermediaries and seasonal demand.
According to him, export supplies are carried out mainly in wholesale batches under long-term contracts, where the price is lower than retail. In addition, Kazakh producers compete on the foreign market with suppliers from Australia, India and Pakistan.
WHAT MEASURES ARE BEING PROPOSED
The expert proposed several measures to stabilise the market. These include:
- introducing temporary restrictions or quotas on exports during periods of seasonal price rises;
- creating regional fattening and slaughter centres;
- subsidising the purchase of feed during dry periods;
- concessional lending to sheep farms for a period of at least three years;
- developing a system for insuring livestock and climate risks;
- launching digital monitoring of prices for live sheep and lamb;
- supporting the production of finished halal products within the country.