Agriculture Ministry Discusses Grain Export Logistics Issues
On July 15, the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan held a meeting where Minister Aidarbek Saparov addressed issues in grain export logistics. He instructed to increase shipments and free up storage elevators in preparation for the new harvest.
Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Committee of State Inspection in the Agro-Industrial Complex, and the Food Contract Corporation reported on the current situation.
Kazakhstan has 191 licensed grain receiving enterprises with a total storage capacity of over 13.2 million tons. Preparations are underway to ready grain processing plants for the new harvest. Additionally, agricultural facilities can store up to 15.8 million tons of grain, which should be sufficient for the expected harvest.
To ensure grain safety, plans are in place to expand storage capacity by constructing new and enlarging existing facilities. Between 2024 and 2026, five new granaries with a capacity of 30.2 thousand tons will be commissioned.
As of July 1, Kazakhstan’s grain reserves total 6.1 million tons, with 5 million tons being wheat, including 4 million tons of food wheat.
From January to May 2024, Kazakhstan exported 2.6 million tons of grain. The main buyers were Uzbekistan, China, Tajikistan, Italy, and Afghanistan. Notably, exports to China increased by 66%, from 152.8 thousand tons in the first five months of 2023 to 254.2 thousand tons in the same period in 2024.
With the new harvest approaching, ensuring sufficient storage capacity, improving export logistics, and diversifying export markets are crucial for agricultural producers to get a fair price for their goods.
