02.02.2026, 11:29
Grain Union Experts Expect a Historic High in Lentil Shipments
Record Lentil Exports from Kazakhstan: 2025/26 Forecast
In the 2025/26 marketing year, Kazakhstan is preparing to set a new historical record for lentil exports. According to forecasts by the Grain Union of Kazakhstan, voiced by Yevgeny Karabanov, Head of the Analytics Committee, external shipments may reach a record level of 470 thousand tonnes. The foundation for such optimistic expectations is the strong 2025 harvest, which analysts of the industry association estimate at 720 thousand tonnes.
Export dynamics already confirm these projections: in just the first four months of the season (from September to December), 302 thousand tonnes of lentils were shipped to foreign markets. This figure is 1.7 times higher than in the same period last year and is already approaching the total export volume of the previous marketing year, which until now had been considered the best on record. Even though December shipments amounted to 32.1 thousand tonnes and showed a seasonal decline of 40% compared to November, they still exceeded December figures of the previous season by 20%, maintaining the overall positive trend.
Turkey remains the key driver of demand, traditionally being the main buyer of Kazakh lentils. In the current season, Turkish importers increased their purchases by more than 2.9 times, bringing volumes to 283.8 thousand tonnes, which accounts for a dominant 94% of Kazakhstan’s total lentil exports. A noticeable increase in activity is also observed in the Chinese direction: 6 thousand tonnes have already been shipped to China, compared with only 1 thousand tonnes for the entire previous season. Against the backdrop of growth in key markets, shipments to other destinations have declined: exports to Afghanistan fell by one third to 2.4 thousand tonnes, deliveries to Kyrgyzstan dropped by 42% to 1.1 thousand tonnes, and exports to Azerbaijan decreased by 21% to 1.5 thousand tonnes. Small volumes were also contracted by buyers from the European Union, the Middle East and Central Asia, including Iran, Poland, Spain and Uzbekistan.
