Kazakhstan has received official approval to export honey to countries in the European Union. The European Commission's decision was published on February 21, 2025, as reported by a correspondent from the business information center Kapital.kz, citing the press service of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
According to Article 2 of the EC decision, this ruling will take effect on the 20th day following its publication in the official EU journal.
“The ministry has undertaken extensive work to prepare and implement the National Plan for Monitoring Residual Substances in Honey, which has been a significant step for Kazakhstan's inclusion in the list of countries authorized to export this product to the EU. Numerous workshops, consultations, and inspections were conducted to ensure compliance with EU requirements,” the agency explained.
To be included in the list of enterprises approved by the European Commission for exporting products to EU countries, it is necessary to meet all EU regulations regarding these products.
To be added to the list, a set of documents and an application must be submitted to the territorial inspection of the Veterinary Control and Supervision Committee:
- a guarantee letter from the territorial inspection committee confirming the enterprise's compliance with EU import norms and requirements;
- reports from the conducted veterinary control and supervision inspections of the enterprise with a conclusion on the enterprise's compliance with EU requirements;
- documents confirming the operation of the production control system and HACCP system at the enterprise;
- a table containing data about the enterprise in both English and Russian.
The Veterinary Control and Supervision Committee reviews the submitted documents for subsequent forwarding through the TRACES-NT system to the European Union Commission.
It should be noted that from January to July 2024, the country produced a total of 91 tons of honey, compared to 132 tons the previous year. The majority came from Shymkent: 82 tons. Four tons of honey were produced in Almaty and the North Kazakhstan region, with another ton produced in Kostanay region. By the end of 2023, Kazakhstan sold 33 thousand centners of honey—2.3 times more than the previous year.
Kazakh producers are interested in exporting livestock products to Hong Kong and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, including game meat, beef, lamb, pork, and poultry, honey, feed additives, as well as crop products such as grains, flour, oilseeds, vegetable oils, and dairy products. Additionally, Kazakh products are planned to be promoted in the Grandiose retail chain in the United Arab Emirates. Producers are ready to offer the UAE a wide range of high-quality products, including meat, honey, caviar, and chocolate.