Kazakhstan to Increase Transport Subsidies for Wheat Exports to Afghanistan

The Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan has proposed amendments to the current Rules for Providing Transport Subsidies, aimed at supporting grain exports. One of the main changes is an increase in the compensation rate for wheat shipments to Afghanistan — from the current 20,000 tenge to 30,000 tenge per ton.

This revision of the subsidies is intended to stimulate grain exports from the country. It will help free up storage capacity at grain elevators for the 2025 harvest and reduce excess grain supply in the domestic market. In addition, the draft regulation simplifies the subsidy process by eliminating excessive procedural details.

It is worth noting that the existing subsidy mechanism was introduced in March 2025. According to the approved rules, the state partially reimburses transportation costs for wheat exported to Afghanistan via transit through Turkmenistan. This measure is part of a broader government program to support exports of agricultural products and includes the subsidization of national operators’ expenses.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, from September 2024 to April 2025, Kazakhstan exported approximately 10 million tons of grain and flour in grain equivalent. This represents a 37.4% increase compared to the same period of the previous agricultural season. Out of this volume, 270 thousand tons were exported to Afghanistan — a growth of 34%.

The proposed changes in transport subsidy regulations reflect the government’s commitment to supporting export activity amid a large harvest and maintaining stability in the domestic agricultural market. If the updated norms are approved, participants in the grain sector will receive an additional financial incentive to develop logistics routes in the southern direction, where Afghanistan remains one of the key consumers of Kazakh wheat.