Kazakhstan agricultural exports continue to grow in 2019

Kazakh agricultural exports totalled $610.2 million in January-February, a 12.9-percent increase compared to the same period last year, reported the Ministry of Agriculture press service.

The bulk of the exported goods were plants and their processed products ($579.8 million); the balance ($30.4 million) was livestock and its processed products.

Afghanistan, China, Iran, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have become the country’s main agricultural markets. Kazakhstan exports grain, oilseeds and leguminous crops, flour, oil and fat products, as well as fish and seafood.

Rapid export profit growth was seen in vegetable oils sales to the Central Asian region, China, Iran and Russia. Flaxseed oil exports increased 75.5 percent (more than 4,600 tonnes worth $3.7 million); rapeseed oil sales increased 36.1 percent (6,300 tonnes worth $4.6 million).

Kazakh farms delivered 1.2 million tonnes of wheat ($213.8 million) to foreign markets, a 27.9-percent increase year-on-year. The country also exported 293,900 tonnes of flour ($62.3 million). Both products were shipped mainly to other Central Asian countries and Afghanistan. Barley exports increased 1.5 times to 480,800 tonnes ($88.8 million).

Oilseed exports continued to grow. In the two months, Kazakhstan sent 253,800 tonnes of flax, sunflower, rapeseed and safflower seeds ($80.8 million) to foreign markets.

More than 4,000 tonnes of Kazakh fish and fish products ($10.1 million) are available at stores within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), European Union (EU) and China.

Meat and meat products exports doubled to 5,000 tonnes, more than half of which was beef (2,785 tonnes). The main importers, which also receive live cattle for slaughter, are Armenia, Bahrain, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Uzbekistan.

astanatimes.com