New Year Surge: Imports of holiday goods to Kazakhstan have seen an unusual increase.

The volume of imported New Year products into Kazakhstan in October 2024 increased nearly fourfold compared to the same period last year, reaching 2.9 thousand tons, reports IA "NewTimes.kz".

Experts from the First Credit Bureau, citing data from the National Bureau of Statistics, note that there is traditionally a surge in the import of holiday goods in the fall: there is very little time left before the New Year, and sellers are actively replenishing their stocks. However, the current figures appear to be anomalous — the volume of supplies has exceeded the total for all of 2023 by 20%.

The majority of New Year products are imported from China, and this year, prices for these goods have reached record lows. In October, the price per ton of such products averaged $1,900 — the lowest figure in the past nine years. Analysts suggest that the spike may be linked to a change in the import structure: there has been an increase in the import of heavier and less expensive items, such as artificial Christmas trees and large decorations.

Interestingly, the growth began as early as September, when 2.4 thousand tons of holiday goods were imported into the country. Thus, in just two autumn months, 84% of the total volume of holiday products for 2024 was imported.

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Among the popular items are Christmas ornaments, artificial trees, tinsel, carnival masks, figurines, and other festive decorations.

This sharp increase in imports confirms that Kazakhstanis continue to actively prepare for the holidays, despite economic uncertainty, and sellers may be betting on high sales volumes this season.