Kazakhstan imposes beef export quotas to cut middlemen, curb pricesKazakhstan's Agriculture Ministry announced Sunday that it has introduced quotas on the export of beef to support domestic producers and remove price-gouging middlemen from the market.The quotas, effective from Dec. 31, 2025, until June 30, 2026, apply to shipments to third countries and fellow members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). The total export quota for cattle meat is set at 20,000 tonnes.The ministry stated the measure targets export intermediaries who do not raise or fatten cattle, aiming instead to support market participants who invest in production, technology, and job creation.The policy was prompted by practices where certain companies and small slaughterhouses engaged in reselling livestock without fattening or developing their own production base, the ministry said."This scheme created opportunities for speculative intermediation and led to a distortion of the real balance of supply and demand, which became a factor in rising domestic prices," the ministry said in a statement.The ministry said the policy prioritizes long-term industry development, deep processing and creating transparent supply chains for Kazakh beef.According to the new rules, the quota size for an individual exporter is tied to the capacity of their feedlot. For example, operations with a capacity of 5,000 head can export up to 1,000 tonnes, while those with 50,000 head can export up to 10,000 tonnes.The quota applies to beef produced by meat processing plants using their own or contracted livestock. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX