Kazakhstan's Compound Feed Exports to China Hit Record Highs

The export map of Kazakhstan's agricultural sector is undergoing significant changes. This shift was spurred by new rules set by China regarding wheat imports. Instead of raw materials, Kazakh farmers are now supplying record volumes of processed products to the PRC, a fact clearly confirmed by the figures.

In just two months of the new marketing year (September and October), compound feed supplies to China skyrocketed by 3.5 times. According to the KTZ (Kazakhstan Temir Zholy) press service, the export volume reached 672,000 tons.

What caused this sharp increase in demand? The national company explains: China itself harvested a large crop in 2025, exceeding 700 million tons of grain. Logically, Beijing subsequently tightened import requirements for grain cargoes from abroad.

However, the restrictions did not apply to everything. According to representatives of the Kazakh national company, "compound feeds have priority during border clearance and are in high demand by China's livestock sector, which has ensured a manifold growth in their export."
KTZ statistics for September-October clearly show the dominance of compound feed in the supply structure. Of the total volume of grain cargoes exported to China by rail (873,000 tons), the lion's share—672,000 tons—was compound feed. The overall growth in rail shipments of all grains during this period is impressive: +72% compared to the same period last year.

Other types of processing are not far behind. Exports of deeply processed products reached 56,000 tons during the same two-month period, showing a growth of 44%.

Taking the broader picture, 3.5 million tons of grain were sent to China by rail in the first 10 months of 2025. This is 35%, or 901,000 tons, more than in the same period last year.