Kazakhstan Plans to Export Up to 3 Million Tons of Grain to Iran Annually

In Astana, the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Aidarbek Saparov, met with the Minister of Agricultural Jihad of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Gholamreza Nouri Ghezeljeh, who arrived on an official visit as part of the Iranian delegation. The talks focused on expanding bilateral cooperation in the agro-industrial sector, with a particular emphasis on the export of grain and oilseed crops.

Both sides noted a significant increase in grain shipments from Kazakhstan to Iran. Since September 2024, exports of the new harvest have reached 960,000 tons — 17 times more than the same period of the previous season. Kazakhstan outlined a strategic goal to raise the annual volume of wheat exports to 2 million tons and barley to 1 million tons.

According to Aidarbek Saparov, Kazakhstan sees great potential in increasing not only grain exports but also oilseed crops. In particular, the country is ready to supply up to 500,000 tons of sunflower oil and meal annually. He also emphasized the importance of developing investment partnerships, especially in the field of deep agricultural processing.

The negotiations also included an assessment of current mutual trade volumes. By the end of 2024, the total trade turnover in the agricultural sector between the two countries amounted to $220.1 million, a 33.2% increase compared to 2023. In just the first four months of 2025, trade volume reached $151.1 million, showing a 139% growth. Kazakhstan’s exports tripled, amounting to $116.7 million. Key export goods included barley, oilseeds, meat, vegetable oil, corn, and legumes.

The Iranian side expressed interest in strengthening grain supplies, primarily wheat and barley, and indicated readiness to sign long-term contracts with Kazakh exporters. Iran also stated its willingness to share technologies in irrigation systems, veterinary services, and livestock genetics. Iranian officials noted that their companies are already successfully operating in Kazakhstan and expressed intentions to increase investment involvement.

Aidarbek Saparov confirmed that Kazakhstan plans to continue active cooperation within the framework of the bilateral Working Group on Agriculture, which was established earlier. The first meeting of this group took place in February 2025 in Tehran. The Minister expressed confidence that the current agreements would give new momentum to the development of cooperation, and the agro-industrial sector would become a key pillar in achieving the goal of increasing bilateral trade to $3 billion.

A significant outcome of the talks was the signing of two memoranda of cooperation. The Grain Union of Kazakhstan and the Iranian Feed Industry Association agreed to develop trade in grain, feed, and feed additives, as well as to use Iranian port infrastructure for optimized logistics. Additionally, “Temirtau Trade” LLP signed a separate agreement with the same Iranian association regarding the supply of agricultural products.