Kazakhstan Grain Exports Soar to Afghanistan Amid Record Rail Shipments

Kazakhstan's grain exports have surged in the first eight months of this year, with Afghanistan emerging as the country's top growth market.

According to Deputy Minister of Transport Zhanibek Taizhanov, shipments of Kazakhstani grain to Afghanistan increased by 4.4 times during this period, reaching 655,000 tons.

The total amount of grain transported by rail in Kazakhstan reached 9.3 million tons, a 13% increase from the same period last year. Of that total, 7.2 million tons were shipped for export, while 2.1 million tons were transported for the domestic market.

Growth was recorded on several routes, including Central Asia (up 37%), China (up 34%), and through Russian ports (up 9%).