Kazakhstan aims for milk self-sufficiency by 2027, but won't eliminate all imports - Dairy UnionKazakhstan could achieve self-sufficiency in dairy production by 2027 but will not completely phase out imports, according to Vladimir Kozhevnikov, executive director of the country’s Dairy Union.Kozhevnikov called Agriculture Minister Aidarbek Saparov's 2027 target for ending Kazakhstan's reliance on imported dairy products "achievable." "The country already meets 95-97% of its demand for basic 'white' dairy products like milk and kefir with domestic production. However, value-added goods such as cheese, butter, and especially powdered milk still rely on imports," he said."We are currently working on balancing dairy farming development programs with processing capacity expansion," Kozhevnikov said in an interview with Interfax-Kazakhstan.He emphasized that eliminating imports is not the goal, as some dairy products remain unprofitable to produce domestically.  "Global trade flows have always existed and will continue - this applies to all nations," he noted. "Our primary focus is securing national food security, a goal we're already positioned to achieve."Kazakhstan currently produces over 4 million tonnes of milk annually, enough to fully supply its processing plants. Earlier this year, Agriculture Minister Saparov stated that the government plans to resolve dairy import dependency and achieve full self-sufficiency by 2027. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX