In the first quarter of 2026, Azerbaijan imported 5,858 tons of milk and cream. According to official statistics, this import cost $10.386 million. Compared to the same period last year, volume increased by 35% and value by 61%.
Akif Nasirli, head of the Center for Liberal Economists, says the increase is due to both expanded import volumes and global price changes. Domestic production cannot fully meet demand, and the gap is filled by imports.
Geopolitical processes, rising energy and transport costs put pressure on prices. Transporting dairy products requires a "cold chain", making logistics costly. The price increase for dairy products in Azerbaijan is about 19.3%.
The import structure is changing: demand for premium products has increased. Previously, cheap products were mainly imported from Iran, but due to the geopolitical situation, this opportunity has become limited. Now imports come from Russia, Turkey, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and European countries, but prices are higher.
The weakness of domestic production is due to systemic problems: reduction of pasture lands (400,000 hectares unused), high fuel prices (30-40% of production costs), and limited subsidies (only 10-15% of livestock are registered).
Agricultural expert Jafar Ibrahimli notes that rising feed prices have increased the cost of milk production. Farmers' selling prices have approached 0.98-1 manat per liter. Processing enterprises are looking for alternative raw material sources, boosting imports.
Butter imports have decreased, while imports of raw milk and cream have increased. This raw material is processed domestically and then re-exported. According to the expert, this trend is positive and could reduce import dependence in the future.
