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Agriculture

Kazakhstan Expands Grain Exports to Europe and Beyond

Kazakhstan is entering new grain export markets, including the United Kingdom, Norway, and Portugal, as part of a broader push to diversify its agricultural trade, Agriculture Minister Aidarbek Saparov has announced. Saparov reported that the 2025 harvest has been one of the strongest in recent years, with 27.1 million tons of grain crops harvested from 16 million hectares. The average yield reached 17 centners per hectare, and wheat production totaled 20.3 million tons, an increase of 500,000 tons compared to last year. “We plan to maintain the level of wheat exports. This year, we have begun supplying markets that have not traditionally received Kazakh grain, Belgium, Portugal, Poland, Norway, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates, as well as Morocco, Algeria, and Egypt in North Africa. Additionally, we have resumed shipments to Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia,” Saparov said. Kazakhstan exported 13.4 million tons of grain during the last marketing year (September 1, 2024, August 31, 2025), a 47% increase compared to the 2023-2024 season. As of the latest data, 2.2 million tons of grain from the new harvest have already been exported, marking a 21% year-on-year increase. New Investments in Deep Grain Processing To support long-term export potential and value-added production, Kazakhstan is implementing five major investment projects aimed at deep grain processing. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, these initiatives will enable the additional processing of approximately 2.5 million tons of grain products annually. Among the most significant is a $1.5 billion investment by China’s Hopefull Grain & Oil Group to build a deep grain processing plant in the Akmola region. The project was discussed by Deputy Minister Yermek Kenzhehanuly and Hopefull’s local project manager, Yao Yao. The project will be rolled out in two phases. The first phase includes constructing a combined heat and power plant to generate renewable energy. The second phase will launch a high-tech facility to produce citric acid, glucose-fructose syrups, bioethanol, and protein concentrates. The company is also considering establishing an industrial park equipped with transport, energy, and engineering infrastructure. Focus on the Chinese Market As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kazakhstan also aims to increase grain exports to China to two million tons per year. This expansion into Asia complements the country’s growing presence in European and Middle Eastern markets.

Grain export

Kazakhstan to Maintain Grain Exports in 2025 to 2026 Season

Kazakhstan plans to maintain grain exports above 12 million tons in the 2025–2026 marketing season, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Azat Sultanov said at a recent briefing. Grain exports for the current 2024–2025 season reached a record 13.4 million tons, according to Sultanov. “Taking into account this year’s harvest, we forecast that next year’s exports will not fall below last year’s level, that is, more than 12 million tons,” he said. To date, 15.6 million hectares, 88.6% of the total planted area, have been harvested, yielding an average of 16.9 centners per hectare and producing 26.6 million tons of grain. This output will fully meet domestic needs for food, fodder, and seeds, while reinforcing Kazakhstan’s position in its traditional export markets. Wheat has been harvested from 12 million hectares, 99% of the cultivated area, at a yield of 16.5 centners per hectare, resulting in approximately 20 million tons. Barley and oats produced 2.4 million tons, and corn yielded 852,000 tons. Sultanov also noted that Kazakhstan has re-entered several previously lost markets, including Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, where demand for Kazakh wheat is on the rise. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan has increased its imports of Kazakh wheat eightfold. Licensed grain receiving enterprises have already received 6.7 million tons from the new harvest, twice the volume recorded at the same time last year. As part of efforts to diversify crop production, special attention has been given to legumes and oilseeds. This year’s legume harvest reached 1 million tons, and the country expects a record oilseed yield of about 4 million tons, of which 3.3 million tons have already been collected. Potatoes have been harvested from 99 percent of the planted area, totaling 130,000 hectares and producing 2.9 million tons. Sultanov said this volume should prevent the shortages and price surges experienced earlier this year. The vegetable harvest totaled 3.9 million tons, while melon crops reached 2.6 million tons.

Grain export

Kazakhstan Aims to Boost Grain Exports to China to Two Million Tons Annually

Kazakhstan plans to increase its grain exports to China to two million tons per year in the coming years, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced at the eighth meeting of the Kazakhstan-China Business Council in Beijing. “Kazakhstan has the sixth-largest area of arable land in the world and ranks among the top ten grain exporters globally. Our country exports over ten million tons of wheat and approximately two million tons of flour each year. The Chinese market is of great interest to us, and Kazakhstan possesses the resources and capacity to export up to two million tons of grain to China annually,” Tokayev stated. According to Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, the national railway operator, grain exports to China reached 1.7 million tons in 2023. Strengthening Agro-Industrial Cooperation Beyond raw grain exports, Astana places significant emphasis on developing joint processing enterprises. Tokayev highlighted ongoing projects by China’s Dalian Group, which is establishing a grain processing plant in the Akmola Region, and the Fufeng Group, which is developing a corn processing facility in the Zhambyl Region. Products from both plants are intended for the Chinese and European markets. The president also invited Chinese investors to collaborate in the sectors of organic farming and livestock breeding. Expanding Transport Corridors Tokayev underscored the strategic importance of enhancing transport and logistics corridors as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, noting that 85% of all land freight between China and Europe currently transits through Kazakhstan. The opening of a second track on the Dostyk-Moyinty rail section this year is expected to increase the capacity of the China-Europe corridor fivefold. The president also emphasized the rising significance of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), also known as the Middle Corridor. In 2023, freight volume along the TITR reached 4.5 million tons, an increase of 62% compared to 2022. Kazakhstan aims to raise this volume to ten million tons in the near future. “Through joint efforts, we have already implemented major infrastructure projects, the Kazakh-Chinese logistics terminal at the port of Lianyungang and the dry port in Xi’an. For Chinese companies, leveraging Kazakhstan’s transit potential opens up significant opportunities,” Tokayev said. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that Kazakhstan and China have also begun digitizing customs declaration procedures for transit cargoes along the TITR, aiming to reduce delays at border crossings.

Agriculture

Kazakhstan Ships Grain to Europe via Estonian Port

Kazakhstan is expanding its grain exports to European markets, with significant shipments routed through Estonia’s Muuga port. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the Akmola region, the country’s top grain-producing area, exported 145,000 tons of wheat through Muuga during the first seven months of 2025. Of this volume, more than 110,000 tons were delivered to Italy, over 28,000 tons to Belgium, and approximately 6,500 tons to Estonia. The shipments followed a memorandum of cooperation signed in February 2025 between the Akmola regional administration and the Muuga Grain Terminal. A key milestone of Kazakhstan’s 2024-2025 export season has been the diversification of grain destinations. For the first time, Kazakh wheat was exported to Belgium, Poland, Portugal, Norway, and the United Kingdom. From September 2024 to August 10, 2025, Kazakhstan exported 9.8 million tons of wheat from the new harvest, a 55% increase compared to the same period in the 2023-2024 season. Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, and Azerbaijan remain the country’s primary buyers. Including flour, Kazakhstan exported a total of 12.4 million tons of wheat grain between September 2024 and July 2025, marking a 34% rise from the 9.3 million tons exported during the same period in the previous season.

Agricultural Export

Kazakhstan Grain Exports Surge to Iran, Azerbaijan, and Central Asia

Kazakhstan exported 12.4 million tons of grain and flour between September 2024 and July 2025, marking a 34% increase from the same period in 2023-2024, when exports totaled 9.3 million tons, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. Kazakhstan recorded substantial export growth to key regional markets. Shipments to Uzbekistan rose by 28.2%, from 3.384 million to 4.338 million tons, while exports to Tajikistan grew by 39.2%, reaching 1.446 million tons. Deliveries to Kyrgyzstan more than doubled, increasing 2.5 times from 156,000 to 398,000 tons. Exports to Iran surged nearly 17-fold, jumping from 56,000 to 974,000 tons, and shipments to Azerbaijan skyrocketed 120-fold, from just 6,000 to 723,000 tons. A major milestone of the 2024-2025 export season was the diversification of export destinations. For the first time, Kazakh grain reached Belgium, Poland, Portugal, Norway, and the United Kingdom. Additionally, Kazakhstan exported approximately 60,000 tons of wheat to Morocco and 15,000 tons to Vietnam. Grain exports to Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey resumed after a five-year hiatus, and shipments of durum wheat to Italy saw significant growth. The increased volumes highlight the growing competitiveness of Kazakh grain on the international market and reinforce Kazakhstan’s standing as one of the world’s leading grain exporters.

Railway

Kazakhstan Boosts Rail Transit of Grain and Coal Through Russia

Kazakhstan has significantly increased the volume of grain and coal transported via rail through Russia, particularly along the eastern route of the North-South transport corridor. According to Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the country’s national railway operator, container traffic along this corridor rose by 63% in the first quarter of 2025, surpassing 1,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). The North-South corridor links Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Iran, with an annual cargo capacity of 10 million tons. Its eastern route, which passes through Kazakhstan, is emerging as a vital artery for regional trade. Grain and Container Exports on the Rise Between September 2024 and April 2025, Kazakhstan exported over 650,000 tons of grain through Russian and Baltic Sea ports. Meanwhile, containerized freight between China and Russia via Kazakhstan increased by 30% year-on-year during the first quarter of 2025, exceeding 132,000 TEU. Coal Shipments Surge Coal transit volumes saw a particularly dramatic rise. From January to March 2025, Kazakhstan exported 2.3 million tons of coal through Russian territory, an increase of 44.5% compared to the same period in 2024. Of this total, 1.3 million tons were shipped through Baltic Sea ports, while another 900,000 tons were exported via Azov and Black Sea ports, a fivefold increase over last year. At an April 28 meeting in Almaty, representatives from KTZ and Russian Railways reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation. The two sides agreed to increase shipments of Kazakh coal to Russian ports and continue developing strategic joint initiatives. In November 2024, KTZ and Russian Railways signed a landmark agreement to modernize railway infrastructure at nine key border stations. The deal includes plans to increase capacity and implement a unified digital system to streamline transportation and cross-border logistics.