Wheat export - The Times Of Central Asia

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Agriculture

Kazakhstan Reclaims Role as Kyrgyzstan’s Main Wheat Supplier

Bishkek has sharply increased wheat imports from Kazakhstan, reversing a three-year reliance on Russian supplies. According to the National Statistics Committee, Kyrgyzstan imported 132,000 tons of wheat from Kazakhstan during the first seven months of 2025, an eightfold increase from previous years, when Kazakh wheat had nearly vanished from the local market. The Ministry of Agriculture reported that 90% of Kyrgyzstan’s wheat crop had been harvested by the end of August, yielding 550,000 tons of grain. However, with national consumption exceeding 1.1 million tons of flour annually, domestic production remains insufficient. In 2022, Kyrgyz importers pivoted toward Russian suppliers, citing lower costs. Imports from Kazakhstan fell from 82,500 tons to just 3,500 tons, while purchases from Russia soared to nearly 240,000 tons. By 2025, the trend had reversed. Kazakhstan now accounts for 72.5% of Kyrgyz wheat imports. In monetary terms, imports surged even more dramatically, rising 8.8 times. Between January and August, Kyrgyzstan spent $27.2 million on Kazakh wheat at an average price of $206 per ton. The rest came from Russian suppliers. The shift has been driven largely by pricing. Russian wheat, which cost just over $160 per ton in 2023, rose to $203 in 2024 and is now priced around $220 per ton. In contrast, Kazakhstan’s record 2024 harvest, 26.5 million tons overall, including 18 million tons of wheat, enabled it to offer more competitive rates, despite traditionally being more expensive than Russian grain. Sources in the Kyrgyz Association of Millers told TCA that the strengthening of the ruble, recovering from years of sanctions-induced weakness, has pushed Russian wheat prices higher. As the ruble appreciates, Russian grain becomes less affordable for importers. The resurgence of Kazakh wheat underscores Kyrgyzstan’s ongoing reliance on imports to meet domestic food demand. While the national harvest is nearing completion, local output still covers only about half of annual consumption. For Bishkek, the return to Kazakh suppliers is not merely economic, it’s also a matter of food security, amid rising global market volatility and Russia’s continued exposure to external shocks.

Agricultural Export

Kazakh Wheat Flour Enters U.S. Market

Kazakhstan has reached a new milestone in diversifying its agricultural exports with the inaugural shipment of wheat flour to the United States. A 50-ton batch recently arrived in New York, marking the beginning of what could become a regular supply channel. Marketed under the Eurasian Legacy brand, the flour is now available on Amazon and Walmart. It retails for $14.50 per 1.36 kg package on Amazon and is advertised as non-GMO and glyphosate-free. Each package bears the label “Product of Kazakhstan,” highlighting the country’s positioning as a producer of environmentally friendly, high-quality food products. According to the QazTrade Center for Trade Policy Development, monthly exports could exceed 100 tons in the near future. In addition to e-commerce platforms, discussions are underway with American restaurants, coffee shops, and major retail chains about incorporating Kazakh flour into their supply chains. In July, QazTrade opened a representative office in the United States to boost the visibility of Kazakhstani food products. “We are not limited to flour. We have already presented buckwheat, granola, talkan, chocolate, and cocoa in the United States, and partners in New York, Chicago, and Washington have tested their quality. A business mission of Kazakh producers to these cities is the next logical step. This is not only an opportunity to strengthen ties with partners but also to enter the HoReCa segment, where natural and authentic products are in demand,” said Aitmukhammed Aldazharov, CEO of QazTrade. The move into the U.S. market follows Kazakhstan’s growing grain and flour exports to Europe. For the first time, Kazakh wheat has been shipped to Belgium, Estonia, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. Despite this growing diversification, Kazakhstan’s primary grain buyers remain Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, and Azerbaijan.

Agriculture

Kazakhstan Expands Wheat Exports to North Africa

Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s leading grain producer, is broadening its export markets to include Africa. The national grain operator, Food Contract Corporation, has reached preliminary agreements to supply 300,000 tons of food wheat to Morocco and other North African countries by the end of the current marketing season, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. More than 200,000 tons of wheat have already been contracted for shipment to African markets. The Corporation’s export strategy emphasizes market diversification, prioritizing the European Union, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, Southeast Asia, and neighboring countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia. Kazakhstan’s traditional grain buyers include Central Asian states, China, and Turkey. To facilitate broader exports, the country is prepared to transport grain via the Azov, Black, and Baltic Sea ports. In 2024, Kazakhstan harvested 26.7 million tons of grain, its largest yield in 13 years, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. The country exported 8.1 million tons of grain last year, including between 6.5 and 7.5 million tons of wheat. For the 2025 season, Kazakhstan aims to export approximately 12 million tons of newly harvested grain. Efforts to secure new markets are ongoing, with negotiations focused on increasing agricultural exports to Azerbaijan, China, Iran, North Africa, and EU countries, as well as to Uzbekistan and Georgia, through access points at Black and Baltic Sea ports.

Agriculture

Kazakhstan’s New Harvest Grain Exports Surge by 54%

Between September and December 25, 2024, Kazakhstan exported 3.7 million tons of grain from its new harvest - a dramatic 54% increase compared to the same period in 2023, when 2.4 million tons were exported. The announcement was made by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture, citing data from Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the national railways company responsible for grain transportation. Significant increases were reported across the traditional markets for Kazakh grain: Uzbekistan: Exports grew by 44%, rising from 994,000 tons to 1.427 million tons. Tajikistan: Exports increased by 53%, from 385,000 tons to 589,000 tons. Afghanistan: Exports surged by 52%, from 120,000 tons to 182,000 tons. Kyrgyzstan: Exports rose by 22%, from 59,000 tons to 72,000 tons. Iran has emerged as a highly promising new market. Exports to Iran (via the Caspian port of Aktau) soared by a staggering 30.2 times, from just 14,000 tons to 435,000 tons. Kazakhstan harvested over 26.5 million tons of grain from 16.7 million hectares in 2024, as previously reported by The Times of Central Asia. The country plans to export approximately 12 million tons of the new harvest to both traditional markets - Central Asia and Afghanistan - and new ones, including Iran, Pakistan, Indonesia, Brazil, and Malaysia. China is also seen as a key growth market. In 2023, Kazakhstan exported 1.43 million tons of cereals to China - a 5.5-fold increase from the previous year. Kazakhstan’s grain export surge underscores the country’s growing role as a major supplier to both regional and global markets, bolstered by strong demand and strategic diversification efforts.

Exports

China to Build Wheat Processing Plant in Kazakhstan’s Akmola Region

China’s Dalian Hesheng Holdings Group Co., Ltd. plans to establish a vertically integrated industrial park for the deep processing of wheat in Kazakhstan’s Akmola region. The project was discussed on December 18 during a meeting between Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and a delegation from the Chinese company. Investments in the project will total $500-$800 million for the initial phase, with an additional $1 billion planned for the second and third phases. The plant will process 1 million tons of wheat annually during the first phase, with capacity increasing to 3 million tons per year in subsequent phases. The initiative is expected to create approximately 2,000 jobs. Construction is set to begin in the second quarter of 2025. The project will also include the construction of a coal-fired thermal power plant and a coal chemical complex capable of producing 150,000–400,000 tons of liquid ammonia annually. Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov underscored the importance of enhancing wheat processing and expanding the production of high-value-added products. He directed government agencies to expedite the signing of an investment agreement with Dalian Hesheng Holdings. Kazakhstan has significant potential in deep grain processing, harvesting 16-17 million tons of grain annually. More than 260 different high-value-added products, such as bioethanol, gluten, and animal feed, can be derived from processed grain. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that Chinese company Myande Group signed a memorandum of cooperation in July for the construction of a wheat processing plant in Kostanay. That facility will produce amino acids, bioethanol, gluten, animal feed, and wheat bran, further bolstering Kazakhstan’s grain processing sector.

Agriculture

Grain War: Has Kazakhstan Become Russia’s Victim?

The fall brought two headaches for Kazakhstani farmers: a rich grain harvest that coincided with an oversupply of grain on world markets, and Russia's ban on exporting Kazakh wheat to and transiting through Russia. Experts complain about the 40% failure of Kazakhstani grain exports, and representatives of farmer associations complain about low prices and high production costs and ask the government to buy their surplus products. The background is talk of a grain war between Moscow and Astana. Phytosanitary ban According to Kazakhstan's Ministry of Agriculture, this year the harvested area of crops amounted to 23.3 million hectares, of which 16.7 million were sown with cereals. Fieldwork has been completed by 99.7%. 26.5 million tons of grain were threshed. Proponents of the opinion that the agricultural authorities of Kazakhstan and Russia have entered into a hidden confrontation for external grain markets argue that Kazakhstan is a victim of this trade war. They cite the restrictions imposed by Rosselkhoznadzor in October as evidence. On October 1, the Russian agency asked Kazakhstan's Ministry of Agriculture to suspend the issuance of phytosanitary certificates for grain and its products, tomatoes, peppers, and sunflower seeds exported to the Russian Federation. On October 3, journalists asked Vice-Minister of Agriculture Ermek Kenzhekhanuly about the stage of fulfillment of this wish. He replied that the Russian side received a reply letter requesting evidence of phytosanitary control violations. According to him, Rosselkhoznadzor had not responded as of October 3. On October 17, the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance temporarily banned imports of several types of agricultural goods from Kazakhstan. Transit of wheat, lentils, and oilseed flax seeds through Russia's territory is allowed. Still, a phytosanitary certificate for the country of final destination must be issued, and grain must be transshipped directly from railcars into the ship's holds. At the same time, deliveries of tomatoes, peppers, sunflower seeds, and melons from Kazakhstan are prohibited, even for transit. Obstacles in response to the ban However, let's carefully review the Kazakhstani press. We will find that as early as September 3rd, Kazakhstani farmers sounded the alarm—Russia is pushing our grain out of traditional markets. Representatives of the Grain Union of Kazakhstan discussed the problems Kazakh traders face with the transit of domestic grain through the territory of the Russian Federation at a session with journalists at the Agricom forum. However, they cited only two cases of such restrictions but tried to convey another message—Russia has introduced hidden obstacles because of Kazakhstan's ban on grain imports from the Russian Federation, which was imposed as early as August 1. As reported by Kazakhstan's Ministry of Agriculture, the restrictions imply a complete ban on wheat imports by all modes of transportation. Previously, the restrictive measures provided for a ban on imports of goods by road, water, and rail (except for imports to poultry and flour mills) since April. The decision was made because, despite the previous ban, grain imports from Russia exceeded 1.1 million tons in six months. Experts considered...