The ban on importing wheat by road, rail and water transport has been extended for another six months.
In April last year, when making the decision, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Yerbol Taszhuirekov explained that for the past few years the domestic grain market has been suffering losses due to the smuggling of wheat from neighbouring countries.
According to the government press service, exceptions were made for railway deliveries to flour mills and poultry farms for the production of their own products. Imported wheat cannot be sold on the foreign or domestic markets.
It was also reported that there is a sufficient amount of grain on the domestic market. In 2023, the country harvested 12.1 million tonnes of wheat.
Taking into account the volume of processing and export shipments as of 1 March this year, the stock of grain stood at 11.5 million tonnes. In addition, the Food Corporation purchased 350 thousand tonnes of feed grain.
Kazakhstan is also receiving additional grain from Russia, which is leading to a decrease in demand and a fall in prices. It is reported that in January this year, 174 thousand tonnes of wheat were imported from Russia by rail, which is 35% more than in 2022 (127.8 thousand tonnes). 29 thousand tonnes of wheat were imported by water transport.