Harvest delays in Kazakhstan lead to deteriorating wheat quality

Due to adverse weather conditions, the harvest campaign in Kazakhstan is facing significant delays, negatively impacting grain quality. Heavy snowfall has hit the Kostanay region, while light snow has also been reported in the North Kazakhstan region. Farmers in the latter area are concerned about high moisture levels in the grain, a large amount of non-graded wheat, and overloaded elevators that are refusing to accept new batches. The situation is causing serious concern, according to APK News.

Zeynolla Abdumanapov, head of the National Association of Exporters KazGrain, stated that cold and wet weather is severely hampering harvesting efforts. “Morning humidity and rapidly rising moisture levels in the evening reduce the active harvesting phase to just a few hours a day, roughly from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM,” he explained. This significantly slows down the harvest, which could extend until mid-October if weather conditions do not worsen further.

Despite the challenges, Abdumanapov assures that there is currently no risk of leaving crops unharvested. Weather forecasts suggest stabilization in early October, allowing the harvest to continue. However, he emphasized that after October 20, the harvest would be considered officially delayed, and grain quality will inevitably decline. Wheat moisture levels are already reaching 17–18%, while the GOST standard requires no more than 14%.

Farmers in the North Kazakhstan region, including Pavel Lavrushin, predict that harvesting timelines may shift by an additional one to two weeks. Lavrushin noted that elevators are overwhelmed with wet grain, and some are inflating tariffs for intake and processing. “Grain moisture exceeds 20%, with a lot of green matter, and elevators either refuse to accept it or retain up to a quarter of the harvest for their services,” he said. He added that local authorities and the Ministry of Agriculture are not intervening, as the elevators are privately owned.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan, 75% of the sown area has been harvested to date, yielding 18.4 million tons of grain. However, following the snowfalls, wheat quality, especially in the northern regions, is deteriorating significantly. Farmers are no longer expecting third-class wheat, and non-graded grain is becoming increasingly common. The situation is described as alarming, with further precipitation likely to exacerbate the challenges in completing the harvest.

Tags: wheat, harvesting, grain quality, Kazakhstan