Uzbekistan's demand drives meat prices up in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan's Minister of Agriculture, Aidarbek Saparov, attributed the increase in meat prices in the country to high demand from Uzbekistan. He made this statement during a briefing on February 11.  

During the briefing, Saparov addressed concerns about rising prices and farmers' claims that the situation was due to last year's drought. According to the minister, the price hike was not caused by the drought but rather by high demand from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.  

"This is not due to the drought. The drought occurred last summer, but we had a normal harvest. You can see the difference in grain prices compared to two years ago. There is enough feed for livestock, and it is quite cheap — about 50,000 tenge. Therefore, the drought did not affect meat prices," Saparov explained.  

He emphasized that the main reason for the price increase was the active purchase of meat by Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, which led intermediaries to raise prices. However, Saparov noted that the situation is gradually stabilizing.  

"Yesterday, I spoke with meat suppliers. Prices range from 2,700 tenge (70,000 sums) to 3,300 tenge (86,000 sums) per kilogram, depending on the cut of meat. But in general, there is enough meat for everyone. It is difficult to accurately predict prices as they depend on trade networks. The Ministry of Agriculture's task is to ensure production," Saparov added.  

It is worth noting that last September, a sharp rise in meat prices was also observed in Kyrgyzstan, partly due to increased meat exports to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.