Meat Union head Maksut Baktibayev projects Kazakh wholesale meat prices steady or lower this autumn
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Kazakhstan Meat Union head Maksut Baktibayev forecast that wholesale meat prices will likely hold steady or decline slightly this autumn, while retail prices are unlikely to fall significantly. He attributed the wholesale trend to seasonal livestock sales and said prices may rise 100-200 tenge per kilogram in late December and January-February.
Seasonal Supply Outlook
Maksut Baktibayev, head of Kazakhstan's Meat Union, told Kazinform that from late summer into early autumn farmers sell surplus cattle, keeping wholesale prices flat or pushing them lower. He said retail prices usually do not follow because intermediaries absorb the margin. Baktibayev added that a seasonal rise of 100-200 tenge per kilogram may begin in late December and continue into January-February, typically within 3-5 percent.
Trade and Consumption Patterns
Meat exports from Kazakhstan are effectively limited by a quota system, according to Baktibayev, while the government is encouraging imports of cheaper meat from lower-cost countries. That import stimulus could push prices down, he said. Beef remains the most consumed red meat at about 25-26 kg per person per year, with poultry consumption rising because it is more affordable. The Ministry of Agriculture earlier proposed temporary restrictions on cattle-meat exports outside the country.
Long-Term Price Levers
Baktibayev said lowering meat prices would require more farms, preferential loans, access to land and pastures, and stable export and sales channels. He called for a unified digital map of agricultural land to let farmers apply for plots, adding that the project has been discussed for several years without implementation. The Ministry of Agriculture has proposed temporary export limits as a separate market intervention.
What's Next
The Ministry of Agriculture's temporary cattle-meat export limit proposal has yet to be decided, and no implementation date for the digital land map has been set. It remains unclear whether cheaper imports and autumn wholesale easing will reach retail buyers before the expected January-February seasonal price rise.
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Meat Union head Maksut Baktibayev projects Kazakh wholesale meat prices steady or lower this autumn
