Kazakhstan Increases Barley Exports to Central Asian Countries

Central Asian countries are gradually strengthening their positions among buyers of Kazakh barley and may become the main export markets for this grain crop in the long term. This forecast was presented by Yevgeny Karabanov, Head of the Analytics Committee of the Grain Union of Kazakhstan.

According to official statistics, Kazakhstan exported 1.37 million tonnes of barley over the 12 months of the 2025/26 marketing year. This figure was almost 31% lower than in the previous season.

At the same time, export shipments increased in August. According to the State Revenue Committee of Kazakhstan, shipments of Kazakh barley, excluding EAEU countries, reached 123,900 tonnes, almost four times the July figure.

The most significant decline in exports was recorded in shipments to Iran. At the end of the 2025/26 marketing year, barley deliveries to the Iranian market amounted to 595,700 tonnes, compared with 1.228 million tonnes in the previous season. Thus, export volumes decreased by a factor of 2.06.

As Yevgeny Karabanov explained, the main reasons for the reduction in shipments were stronger competition from Russian barley and military hostilities in the Middle East.

Barley exports to China also declined. During the reporting period, Kazakhstan supplied 371,800 tonnes of barley to the country, representing a 16.6% decrease compared with the previous marketing year.

The analyst primarily attributes the decline in shipments to China's increased imports of feed flour used as a raw material in compound feed production. Periodic logistical and infrastructure restrictions at the border also had an additional impact.

Against the backdrop of declining shipments to Iran and China, exports of Kazakh barley to Central Asian countries increased significantly.

Exports to Uzbekistan rose 1.56-fold, reaching 271,400 tonnes. For comparison, shipments to the country totaled 173,600 tonnes in the 2024/25 marketing year.

Kazakhstan exported 107,600 tonnes of barley to Tajikistan, an increase of 29.3% compared with the previous season, when shipments amounted to 83,200 tonnes.

According to Yevgeny Karabanov, further development of livestock and poultry farming in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan will increase their importance as buyers of Kazakh barley.

The analyst also noted that the combined volume of barley exports to these two countries during the marketing year had already exceeded shipments to China.

Looking ahead, the Grain Union of Kazakhstan representative expects structural changes in the country's domestic barley market as well. Export volumes are projected to decline gradually, while domestic grain consumption and processing will continue to increase.