Kazakhstan Prepares to Increase Durum Wheat Exports in the New Season

Kazakhstan plans to significantly boost shipments of durum wheat to international markets in the 2024/25 marketing year. Experts forecast that export volumes will reach approximately 580,000 tonnes, a 63 % increase over last season’s 355,000 tonnes. These figures were presented by Yevgeny Karabanov, Head of the Analytical Committee of the Grain Union of Kazakhstan and founder of Northern Grain Group of Companies, at the “Astyk 2025” agricultural conference held on July 31, 2025, in the Kostanay region. This level of exports will mark the country’s second-highest result in history, surpassed only by the record 646,000 tonnes shipped in the 2022/23 marketing year.

Italy remains the main importer of Kazakh durum wheat. In the first ten months of the current season, around 400,000 tonnes have already been shipped to that country, compared with approximately 317,000 tonnes during the same period last season. According to estimates from the Grain Union of Kazakhstan, domestic production of durum wheat reached 940,000 tonnes after processing this season. Domestic consumption of this crop is expected to be at the level of 375,000 tonnes. Karabanov also reported that by the end of the current season, Kazakhstan’s durum stocks will grow to 42,000 tonnes, significantly exceeding last year’s figure of 17,700 tonnes.

The increase in durum wheat exports underscores Kazakhstan’s growing role in the global food chain, particularly for countries dependent on high-quality raw materials for the production of pasta and other products. Going forward, these trends may help strengthen economic ties with key partners and stimulate further development of the country’s agrarian sector.