Kazakhstan’s beekeepers nearly doubled their honey exports in 2025, with neighboring Uzbekistan emerging as the primary destination, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
Official data show that Kazakhstan exported 1,477 tons of honey in 2025, compared to 603 tons in 2024. The majority of shipments, 1,264 tons, or 85.6% of total exports, were delivered to Uzbekistan. Kazakh honey was also exported to Canada, China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the United States. A trial shipment was sent to Oman for the first time.
Amid rising exports, imports declined sharply. In 2025, honey imports totaled 262.4 tons, down from 1,663 tons in 2024. The Ministry of Agriculture attributes this decrease to increased domestic production and the strengthening position of local producers.
Kazakhstan produces approximately 5,000 tons of honey annually. Nearly half of this volume, 2,300 tons, comes from private subsidiary farms, while 2,700 tons are produced by large enterprises. Beekeeping is most developed in the East Kazakhstan, Pavlodar, Almaty, and Turkestan regions, as well as in the Abai and Zhetisu regions. These regions account for around 241,000 bee colonies, more than 90,000 of which have breeding status.
State support measures include production subsidies. The Ministry of Agriculture emphasizes that the sector’s development is being pursued systematically. In 2024, a roadmap for the industry’s development for 2025-2027 was approved, and amendments to the laws “On Beekeeping” and “On Breeding Livestock” were drafted. In April 2025, the proposed amendments were submitted to parliament.
According to the ministry, the legislative changes are intended to increase transparency in the sector, strengthen breeding programs, and enhance the competitiveness of Kazakh honey in foreign markets, thereby creating a foundation for further export growth and rural development.
As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, the Hungarian company Aranynektár Kft announced in 2024 plans to build a honey processing plant in Kazakhstan to facilitate exports to European Union countries.
