East Kazakhstan's honey producer included in EU's HON register
Kazakhstan has made an important step in developing its beekeeping industry’s export potential. SUN-BEE ALTAI LLP, located in Glubokovsky district of the East Kazakhstan region, became the country's first producer of honey and other apicultural products included in the official register of the European Union - Honey and other apiculture products establishments (HON), Kazinform News Agency learned from the Ministry of Agriculture.
This achievement is a result of long-standing work carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture, the Committee for Veterinary Control and Supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture, as well as the enterprise itself to bring production processes into full compliance with veterinary and sanitary requirements and standards of the European Union.
Kazakhstan officially received permission to export honey to the European Union in March 2025, following the publication of the relevant regulation of the European Commission dated February 21, 2025.
The inclusion of SUN-BEE ALTAI LLC in the HON register entitles the company to export its products to the EU countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Hungary, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Portugal, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Ireland, Cyprus, Luxembourg and Malta.
"The Committee continues providing support and inspecting the enterprises interested in entering the European markets, thus promoting further development of export potential of Kazakhstan’s apicultural products," a press release from the Ministry reads.
According to data provided by the European Commission, the EU can only satisfy 63% of its own honey demand. The EU remains the world's second-largest honey producer after China, with the production volume of 286,000 tons.
The world's top three honey producers are China (474,000 tons, 26%), EU (286,000 tons, 16%) and Türkiye (118,000 tons, 6%), FAO says.
In 2023, Kazakhstan produced 3,900 tons, of which 228 tons were exported to China, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan.