Kazakhstan boosts spending on foreign chocolate to $203 million

Kazakhstan imported $203.5 million worth of chocolate in the first half of the year, according to data from the Bureau of National Statistics. In monetary terms, imports grew by 32.6% year-on-year.

At the same time, the total import volume decreased by 64 tons compared to the same period last year, indicating that the price of chocolate imported to Kazakhstan has risen significantly. Overall, the country imported 41,000 tons of chocolate and other cocoa confectionery products in the first six months of 2025.

The increase in import costs was driven mainly by Russia, Kazakhstan’s largest supplier. Imports from Russia rose in value by 31.8% to $118.3 million, while the volume fell by 1,000 tons to 28,000 tons.

In addition to Russia, Kazakhstan purchased significant volumes of cocoa products from Ukraine (4,400 tons worth $31 million), Turkey (3,300 tons worth $17 million) and Germany (1,400 tons worth $10.3 million).