Dramatic fall in Kazakhstan’s wheat exports

Wheat shipments from Kazakhstan, the world’s eighth-largest exporter, totalled 628,000 tonnes in the first three months of this year, compared with 2.22 mln tonnes in the corresponding period last year, according to customs data. Experts are afraid that the country could fail in the execution of the existing trade contracts to supply wheat and other grain abroad.

“Earlier, it was predicted that Kazakhstan will exports 6.5-7 million tonnes of grain in the 2012-2013 marketing year (from 1 July 2012 to 1 July 2013). Until its end there is still time. The previous three quarters, from 1 July 2012 to 1 April 2013, the country exported only 5.2 million tonnes of grain with the significant drop in the third quarter,” according to a recent report from the Ministry of Agriculture.

In this regard, the experts are not sure whether Kazakhstan can reach the planned level of grain exports by July 1. Meanwhile, the Department of Land Development under the Ministry of Agriculture Sagintaya Zhumazhanova claims that Kazakhstan “may export some 2 million tonnes of grain by the end of the current marketing year.” However, in the fourth quarter according to preliminary custom data export still remains weak.