12.05.2025, 21:38
Kazakhstan Expands Its Share in Global Trade as Oil Exports Grow by 29%
Vegetable oil production in Q1 2025 increased by 23.4%, sunflower oil — by 23.1%
Kazakhstan’s oil and fat industry continues to demonstrate stable growth, reinforcing its role in the agro-industrial complex and foreign markets. According to data for the first quarter of 2025, the volume of vegetable oil production reached 239.6 thousand tonnes, which is 23.4% more than in the same period in 2024. Notably, sunflower oil production increased by 23.1%, reaching 210.2 thousand tonnes.
This positive dynamic is closely linked to the expansion of sown areas for oilseeds, which reached 2.9 million hectares in 2024. The main contributors were the North Kazakhstan (23.3%), Kostanay (23%), and Pavlodar (12.5%) regions. Abai, Akmola, and East Kazakhstan regions also made significant contributions.
Last year set a record for oilseed harvest — 3.3 million tonnes, up 53% compared to 2023. This surge allowed processing plants to operate at higher capacity. There are 88 oil processing enterprises in the country with a total capacity of 4.7 million tonnes of raw materials annually. In 2024, they produced 753 thousand tonnes of vegetable oil, which is 12% more than the previous year.
Export potential is also showing positive dynamics. In 2024, Kazakhstan’s vegetable oil exports increased by 29%. The main destinations were China (42.4% of total exports), Uzbekistan (35.4%), Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Kyrgyzstan. At the same time, imports fell by 6.8%, indicating strengthening domestic production.
To support further growth, the Agro-Industrial Development Concept until 2030 envisions increasing oilseed acreage to 3.3 million hectares, creating an additional raw material base for domestic processing and adding more value to the end products.
State support measures include preferential loans for processors, a 70% reduced VAT rate, and export subsidies. Since February 2023, an export duty on sunflower exports has been in effect — 20%, but no less than €100 per tonne — to protect the domestic processing sector.
Another important development was the signing of sanitary and phytosanitary protocols with China, opening new opportunities for the export of processed oilseed products to the Chinese market.
The combination of state policy, infrastructure, and international cooperation is already yielding results: Kazakhstan’s oil and fat sector is becoming more competitive, strengthening its position in Central Asia, and building a sustainable export model based on value-added processing.
🔑 Key Takeaways:
🔹 Vegetable oil production in Q1 2025 increased by 23.4%, sunflower oil — by 23.1%.
🔹 Oilseed harvest in 2024 reached 3.3 million tonnes — up 53% YoY.
🔹 Kazakhstan boosted exports by 29%, with China accounting for 42.4%.
