Why Record Harvests of Pulses in Kazakhstan Do Not Guarantee High Profitability

The current agricultural season has become a landmark for Kazakhstan: the gross harvest of pulse crops reached a historic high, exceeding 1.1 million tonnes. The bulk of this volume was lentils, with production reaching 842 thousand tonnes, while pea output amounted to 222 thousand tonnes and chickpeas to 22 thousand tonnes. However, despite these impressive quantitative results, the sector is facing serious market challenges.

Speaking at the international KAZAKH GRAIN & LOGISTIC FORUM conference in Almaty, Chairman of the Board of Atameken Agro JSC, Kintal Ismailov, emphasized that production volumes—particularly of lentils—have nearly doubled, while consumption growth has failed to keep pace.

Such a sharp increase in supply, combined with high yields in other major agricultural regions worldwide, has triggered a significant decline in prices. According to the company’s head, the green lentil segment has been hit especially hard, with prices effectively converging with those of red lentils. The global market situation is further exacerbated by strong production figures in Russia, Canada, and Australia. In particular, the expert pointed to substantial carryover stocks of peas in Russia and Canada, as well as the strengthening of Canadian suppliers’ positions following the end of the trade dispute with China in January 2026.

Under these conditions, Kazakh farmers need to reconsider their approach to shaping crop structures. To maintain profitability and business sustainability, Ismailov recommends diversifying production, including selectively reallocating acreage toward chickpeas and peas, whose prices in 2025 demonstrated greater stability compared to lentils. At the same time, planning for the next season requires extreme caution due to excessive stocks held by major global competitors.

An important development vector for the sector should be the expansion of domestic processing of pulse crops, which would help reduce dependence on raw material exports. In terms of current logistics, Turkey remains the main export destination for lentils, accounting for up to 90% of Atameken Agro’s shipments, due to well-established transport routes. Despite attempts to enter the UAE market, this direction remains logistically challenging. The EAEU countries, China, and Afghanistan are considered promising alternatives for expanding export geography.

Summarizing the sector’s outlook, Kintal Ismailov noted that if current production rates persist, Kazakh farmers will either need to adopt the Canadian experience of extending storage periods or focus on reducing production costs to remain competitive in international markets.