Wheat export - The Times Of Central Asia

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Wheat

Kazakhstan Flour Exports Surge as Afghanistan Drives Demand

Kazakhstan is heading for its strongest wheat flour export season in years, reviving an industry that once made the country the world's largest flour exporter. Exports are forecast to reach 2.12 million tonnes in the 2025/26 marketing year, according to Yevgeny Karabanov, chairman of the Analytics Committee of the Grain Union of Kazakhstan. Shipments had already reached 1.87 million tonnes after ten months, up 18.3% from a year earlier. That is a substantial volume by global standards. Kazakhstan exported 1.88 million tonnes of wheat flour in 2024, making it the world's second-largest exporter by volume after Turkey. The country has been an even bigger player in the past: around 15 years ago, Kazakhstan was the world's leading flour exporter, although its share of the market subsequently declined as competitors expanded their own milling industries. Afghanistan is central to the current recovery. In 2024, it bought about 1.23 million tonnes of Kazakh flour, roughly two-thirds of Kazakhstan's total exports, and Karabanov said shipments increased by a further 21.5% during the first ten months of the current season. Wheat flour is simply wheat that has been milled into the powder used to make bread and other foods, but the distinction matters for Kazakhstan. Exporting flour allows Kazakh companies to carry out the processing – and retain more of the value – before the product crosses the border. Exporting raw wheat leaves that business to mills in the importing country. That shift is already visible in Uzbekistan. Its purchases of Kazakh flour fell 15.8% during the period cited by Karabanov, while its imports of Kazakh wheat rose by 35%, as more grain is processed domestically. Afghanistan may eventually move in the same direction: its government has raised the tariff on imported flour while lowering duties on wheat in an effort to support domestic mills. Wheat imports subsequently jumped sharply in March and April. For now, however, Afghanistan remains heavily dependent on its neighbors for basic food supplies. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimated its cereal import requirement at 3.7 million tonnes in 2025/26, mostly wheat flour, citing limited domestic milling capacity. Dry conditions have also affected Afghan wheat production. Meanwhile, Pakistan closed its main Torkham and Chaman border crossings after clashes in October, disrupting another important Afghan trade route. Kazakhstan's flour revival forms part of a wider increase in agricultural exports. From September 2025 to July 30, 2026, the country exported 13.9 million tonnes of grain and flour in grain equivalent, up 12.6% year-on-year, with Uzbekistan and Afghanistan among the main destinations. The growth also fits Kazakhstan's broader attempt to make more money from its grain before exporting it. Earlier, The Times of Central Asia reported that the country plans to increase its grain deep-processing capacity nearly tenfold by 2028, targeting products with greater added value than raw grain.

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.