Kazakhstan Increases Compound Feed Exports to China Fivefold

The volume of compound feed transported by rail from Kazakhstan to China over the eight months of the current marketing season (September 2024 – April 2025) has reached an impressive 1.2 million tons, which is five times higher than the same period last year, according to Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the national railway company.

A significant increase was recorded at key border stations. Shipments through Dostyk surged sixfold to 353 thousand tons, while even larger volumes were handled through Altynkol, exceeding 900 thousand tons, representing a fivefold increase year-on-year.

From January to April 2025, Kazakhstan exported 785 thousand tons of compound feed to China, which is five times more than during the same four months of 2024. During this period, Dostyk handled 216 thousand tons (a sevenfold increase), and Altynkol saw 567 thousand tons, 4.5 times more than the previous year.

KTZ noted that this surge in exports was supported by both covered wagon shipments (which doubled) and container transport, which rose fivefold.

Analysts attribute this dynamic growth to strong and sustained demand for feed components in China, as well as to improved logistics and flexible shipping schemes. At the same time, the rapid expansion of exports reflects the growing capacity of Kazakh producers in the segment of value-added agricultural processing.

🔑 Key takeaways:
1️⃣ Compound feed exports to China grew fivefold to 1.2 million tons in 8 months.
2️⃣ Dostyk and Altynkol stations became the main export hubs, increasing shipments 6 and 5 times, respectively.
3️⃣ Container shipments acted as the main driver of export growth, rising fivefold.