Kazakhstan wheat export dynamics: February 2024  

In February 2024, Kazakhstan's wheat exports by rail showed significant fluctuations compared to the previous year. The beginning of the month was marked by a decrease in shipments: in the first ten-day period, only 106 thousand tons were shipped, which is 39.2% less than in February 2023. The trend continued into the second ten-day period, when exports totaled 148 thousand tons - 39.3% less than in the same period last year.

However, by the third decade of February 2024, the situation began to change and exports increased to almost 217 thousand tons, a 21.5% increase compared to the same period in 2023. Nevertheless, despite the recovery at the end of the month, total wheat exports for February 2024 amounted to 471 thousand tons, down 21.1% compared to February of the previous year, when 597 thousand tons were exported. The significant decrease in export volumes is most likely a consequence of poor crop quality as well as a large amount of sprouted grain.

Analyzing the volume of wheat exports, it becomes obvious that there is a decrease in volumes practically in all directions. While the decrease in volumes to Uzbekistan is insignificant, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan demonstrate a noticeable decline in the volume of imports of Kazakh wheat. Despite the fact that shipments to China resumed this season, the total volume of exports shows a noticeable decline.