The average price of a liter of 3.2% milk in Kazakhstan has reached 693 tenge, nearly 8.8% more than a year earlier, with prices in some cities approaching 1,000 tenge, according to infohub.kz.
In September, inflation in the country fell to 9.3%, while food prices rose 8.5% year-on-year. Some food products, including milk, are rising faster than others.
According to the Bureau of National Statistics, over the year, prices for dairy products increased as follows: milk with fat content of 6% and above — by 7.6%; milk 3.2–4.5% — by 8.8%; milk 2.2–2.5% — by 7.8%; canned milk — by 10.2%.
As for average prices, as of October 1, a liter of 3.2% milk in Kazakhstan cost about 693 tenge. Milk with 2.5% fat content is slightly cheaper — on average 634 tenge per liter.
In several cities, dairy products are noticeably more expensive. In Atyrau, a liter of 3.2% milk costs an average of 989 tenge, and in Shymkent — 848 tenge. Prices above the national average were also recorded in Turkistan (804 tenge), Aktau (815 tenge), and Aktobe (840 tenge).
In Astana, the average price per liter of milk was 694 tenge, in Almaty — 683 tenge. The lowest prices were in Petropavlovsk — just 494 tenge per liter.
For other dairy categories, average prices in September were as follows: sour cream — 2,377 tenge per kilogram; kefir with 2–3% fat — 610 tenge per liter; cottage cheese with 5–9% fat — 2,487 tenge per kilogram; hard and semi-hard cheese — 6,194 tenge per kilogram; butter — 5,689 tenge per kilogram.
Note that milk is considered a socially significant food product in Kazakhstan. Its prices are monitored weekly and regulated by the government through a maximum trade markup.
Recall that earlier it was reported that more than half of Kazakhstanis' expenses go to food, including dairy products.