Uzbekistan remains major importer of wheat from Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan has increased its wheat exports, as reported by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic, referencing Kazakhstan Temir Zholy.

From September to December, the state-owned company's trains transported 3.9 million tons of new crop grain to foreign markets, marking a 57% increase compared to the same period in 2023. Overall, grain shipments rose by 50%, totaling 5 million tons.

Uzbekistan has become the largest importer of Kazakh wheat. Over four months, 1.5 million tons were imported, a 45% increase over last year. Tajikistan ranked second with 633,000 tons (+57%), followed by China with 592,000 tons (+2%).

Wheat exports to Iran skyrocketed thirty-fold, reaching 455,000 tons. Additionally, exports to Afghanistan grew by 51%, amounting to 190,000 tons, while shipments to Azerbaijan recovered to 188,000 tons.

In total, 10.6 million tons of grain were transported by rail in 2024, including 8.1 million tons for export. Uzbekistan received over 40% of the total annual shipments, or 3.3 million tons, while China imported 1.7 million tons.

Moreover, Kazakhstan increased wheat supplies to Tajikistan by 20%, reaching 1.2 million tons. Exports to Iran doubled, reaching 526,000 tons, and similar growth was seen in Azerbaijan (211,000 tons, +80%) and Kyrgyzstan (140,000 tons, +90%).