Kazakhstan's Flour Exports Hit Seven-Year High

Kazakhstan achieved a record high in wheat flour exports during the marketing year 2025/26, shipping out 2.174 million tons. This marks the highest volume in seven years and a 17.9% increase from the previous season. The share of exports in total production also grew, reaching 54.4% compared to 52.8% the year before.

The country's flour production hit an all-time high of 3.995 million tons, a 14.5% year-over-year rise. This growth was driven by a strong wheat harvest and a strategic shift toward new and expanding markets. Notably, exports to Afghanistan surged by 254,200 tons, a 23.6% increase, while shipments to Kyrgyzstan rose 1.66-fold and deliveries to Turkmenistan increased 1.5-fold.

However, Kazakhstan faced challenges in its traditional markets. Uzbekistan reduced imports of Kazakh flour by 65,200 tons, a 15.3% decrease, as it expanded domestic grain processing. Shipments to China also plummeted 3.9-fold, with virtually no exports for the past eight months.

Despite these setbacks, higher demand from Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan helped Kazakhstan offset weaker sales to Uzbekistan and China. The growing competition in Central Asia is prompting Kazakh exporters to further diversify their sales markets to sustain this export growth.