Kazakhstan poultry industry expansion takes off

An ambitious government programme aimed at making Kazakhstan fully self-sufficient in poultry meat is beginning to bear fruit, according to data from the Union of Poultry Farmers of Kazakhstan.

The self-sufficiency rate for broiler meat in Kazakhstan has recently reached 80%, up from 67% in 2022, according to the Agricultural Ministry. In 2027, the figure is expected to reach 100%.

Since 2022, Kazakhstan has brought 14 new poultry farms into commercial operation, with a nameplate capacity of 144,000 tonnes of broiler meat per year. As a result, last year, domestic poultry production reached 360,000 tonnes, with around 350,000 tonnes being manufactured at industrial farms.

There is still room for further growth, as many of the existing poultry farms operate below 100% capacity utilisation, the Union of Poultry Farmers estimated. Some farms have the potential to ramp up output by 30% without investing in capacity expansion.

For example, the Union of Poultry Farmers mentioned JSC Poultry Agro, a broiler meat farm in the Kostanai region in the country’s north. The farm has recently been revived after 8 years out of service. Over the past 3 years, the new owner has invested KZT 3.2 billion (US$6.1 million) to bring the company back on its feet.

The Union of Poultry Farmers emphasised that industry development is happening not only through the construction of new farms, but also through the modernisation of existing capacities.

By 2030, Kazakhstan plans to double livestock exports, officials from the Ministry of Agriculture outlined during a government meeting in September 2025. To achieve this, Kazakhstan, among other things, plans to expand the scale of soft lending to livestock and poultry industries. More farms will become eligible to obtain soft loans with a 5% interest rate subsidised by the state.

As part of this effort, Kazakhstan is working to open the EU market for its livestock production, the Ministry indicated. This is not the first time that Kazakhstan, which has historically been a net poultry importer, has declared its export ambitions. In 2024, the Agricultural Ministry revealed plans to commence exports to China.

However, the Kazakhstan export potential remains questionable. According to a study by the Kazakhstan Agency for the Protection of Competition, the key factor undermining industry competitiveness is relatively high feed costs.

Tags: exports, Kazakhstan, Production, poultry meat, broiler meat, self sufficient, livestock sector