"Meat Inflation": Why Meat Prices in Kazakhstan Are Rising Faster Than Forecasted

 

 

Price growth in Kazakhstan in 2025 has exceeded expected scenarios. September inflation figures reached 12.9%, with the food sector showing a growth of 12.7%. Meat has become the main driver of price increases, sparking harsh criticism in the Senate regarding current market regulation methods.

 

Olga Bulavkina, a deputy of the upper house of Parliament, stated that the government's pinpoint measures, such as temporary export bans, have ceased to be effective. According to her, the country is facing the phenomenon of "meat inflation," the pace of which is alarming: price growth in this segment amounted to 19%.

 

The senator noted that meat and meat products make up almost a quarter (22%) of the average Kazakhstani's consumer basket. Consequently, any price spike in this category instantly lowers the real standard of living of the population.

 

Among the key reasons, Bulavkina highlighted:

• Rising Production Costs: Increased tariffs for utility services (electricity, gas, water) and the rising cost of diesel fuel.

• Raw Material Factor: High feed prices.

• Market Factors: The activity of intermediaries (middlemen) and high demand in external markets.

 

According to the deputy, the problem lies not in a deficit of products per se, but in systemic errors in managing commodity flows. Ultimately, the buyer pays for the costs of inefficient logistics and losses.

 

"It is more profitable for Kazakhstani suppliers to send produce, especially meat, for export — they pay more there. This strengthens the country's position in the international arena and increases farmers' incomes. However, the state needs a preventive strategy, not just a post-factum reaction," the senator emphasized.

 

Bulavkina insists on creating clear mechanisms that balance the interests of farmers and the availability of products in the domestic market, without resorting to bans that are damaging to business.

 

Special attention was paid to the chronic problems of the agro-industrial complex (AIC), which directly affect inflation:

• Deficit of Vegetable Storage Facilities. The country lacks the capacity to store 690,000 tons of produce (about 35% of the requirement). Because of this, farmers are forced to sell their harvest for next to nothing immediately after gathering, losing profit and reducing tax revenues to the budget.

• Technical Backwardness. The wear and tear of agricultural machinery and low mechanization lead to rising production costs and a decline in product quality.

 

Olga Bulavkina believes it is necessary to revise the approach to food security. She proposed including issues of processing, storage, and logistics in the National Food Security Plan as a separate priority direction. Only by establishing interdepartmental interaction and developing infrastructure, in the deputy's opinion, will it be possible to "tame" inflation and guarantee stable prices on store shelves in the long term.