🌾 Problems with Flour Exports: How Kazakhstan Can Regain Its Position

🔹 Kazakhstan has lost its leadership in flour exports in Central Asia, yielding its position to Uzbekistan, which processes about 1 million tons of Kazakh wheat annually.

🔹 Senator Arman Utegulov calls for the development of grain processing and support for processing enterprises, which will increase the added value and export profits.

🔹 In the country, only 70 out of 250 grain processing enterprises are operational, with 1,750 having closed, resulting in the loss of 70,000 jobs, negatively impacting the economy and the agricultural sector.

 

Kazakhstan is facing serious challenges in the export of grain products, and the situation requires immediate intervention. Senator Arman Utegulov recently raised alarming facts about the state of the industry and proposed concrete measures for its recovery.

 

Five years ago, Kazakhstan was the recognized leader in flour exports in Central Asia. Today, however, Uzbekistan has taken over this position, processing about 1 million tons of Kazakh wheat annually. Instead of exporting finished products – flour, pasta, or starch – Kazakhstan continues to sell raw wheat, thereby losing a significant portion of its potential profits.

 

Senator Utegulov insists that the country needs to revise its strategy and focus on developing deep grain processing. He proposed increasing funding for projects aimed at creating modern processing enterprises, which will significantly increase the added value of agricultural products.

 

"Today, only 70 out of 250 grain processing enterprises in the country are operational. In comparison, 30 years ago, there were over 2,000. The closure of 1,750 enterprises led to the loss of about 70,000 jobs. This is a colossal loss for both the economy and farmers," stressed Arman Utegulov.

 

The reduction in processing capacity, according to the senator, leads to stagnation in the industry, which negatively affects not only the country's economy but also its competitiveness in the global market. Kazakhstan, with its enormous potential, risks falling behind its neighbors, such as Uzbekistan, which is actively expanding its capacity to process Kazakh raw materials and reap the maximum benefit from it.