Kazakhstan Gears Up for Record Grain Exports
Kazakhstan is on track for a bumper cereal harvest and a significant increase in grain exports this year. According to the Kazakhstan Ministry of Agriculture, 16.7 million hectares of cereals were sown, with harvesting 99.7% complete and 26.5 million tons of grain threshed.
Diversifying Export Markets
The country plans to export approximately 12 million tons of the new harvest, targeting both traditional markets in Central Asia and Afghanistan, as well as new destinations like Pakistan, Indonesia, Brazil, and Malaysia.
Deputy Minister of Trade and Integration Kairat Torebayev recently reported at a government meeting that Kazakhstan’s export potential for cereals is estimated at 12 million tons, breaking down as:
- 7-7.5 million tons of wheat
- 1.4 million tons of barley
- 300,000 tons of corn
China Emerges as Key Market
Kazakhstan has already seen remarkable growth in cereal exports to China in 2023, reaching 1.43 million tons – a 5.5-fold increase compared to the previous year. Wheat exports alone surged to 538,800 tons, representing nearly a 15-fold increase year-on-year.
Torebayev highlighted Kazakhstan’s potential to further increase wheat exports to China and other Asian countries to 1.6 million tons, with an export potential of almost 1 million tons to Turkey and Middle Eastern countries.
Agreements Secured for Future Exports
Preliminary agreements have been reached for:
- 600,000 tons of wheat to Armenia
- 1 million tons of wheat to Italy
Negotiations are also underway to export 200,000 tons of grain to North African countries.
Record-Breaking Exports in 2022/23 Season
According to APK-Inform, Kazakhstan exported over 7.3 million tons of wheat in the 2022/23 grain season, a record high for recent years. Uzbekistan remained the primary importer of Kazakh grain, followed by Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and China.
In 2022, Kazakhstan’s wheat exports generated $1.91 billion, placing it as the 11th largest wheat exporter globally.
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