🌍 Kazakhstan Reduced Wheat Flour Exports in the First Half of 2024

🔹 Export volumes decreased from 895.2 thousand tons in 2023 to 856.28 thousand tons in 2024.

🔹 Afghanistan and Uzbekistan remain key importers but have also reduced their purchases of Kazakh wheat flour.

🔹 Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan slightly increased their import volumes, despite the general trend of decline.

 

In the first half of 2024, Kazakhstan demonstrated a slight decrease in wheat flour export volumes. According to official statistics, 856.28 thousand tons of this product were delivered to international markets during this period. For comparison, during the same period in 2023, exports amounted to 895.2 thousand tons.

 

Despite the overall reduction in exports, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan remained the main importers of Kazakh wheat flour. However, there was a decrease in their purchase volumes as well. In the first half of 2024, Afghanistan imported 569.5 thousand tons of flour, slightly lower than the 576.3 thousand tons purchased in 2023. Uzbekistan, on the other hand, significantly reduced its imports to 205 thousand tons compared to 258.6 thousand tons in 2023.

 

Amid the overall decline in exports, some countries have increased their purchases. For example, Kazakhstan's flour exports to Tajikistan grew from 16.6 thousand tons to 32.4 thousand tons, and to Kyrgyzstan from 7.5 thousand tons to 21.4 thousand tons. On the other hand, Turkmenistan reduced its import of Kazakh flour from 20.2 thousand tons in the first half of 2023 to 12.6 thousand tons in the same period in 2024.

 

As for exports to Russia and China, volumes remained at last year's level, amounting to about 10 thousand tons and 6 thousand tons, respectively.

 

Additionally, statistics for 2024 recorded small shipments of Kazakh wheat flour to Iraq, Turkey, Belarus, and Poland, indicating attempts to diversify export directions.