Kazakhstan bans sugar exports until the end of summer

Kazakhstan bans the export of sugar from the country until the end of summer. This was reported by the press service of the government of the republic. This measure will fully meet the demand of Kazakhstanis for sugar in the coming summer season.

“At the meeting of the Interdepartmental Commission (IDC) on Foreign Trade Policy and Participation in International Economic Organizations, which was held on April 6 under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin, the issue of providing the domestic market with sugar for the next season before the harvest of a new sugar beet crop was considered,” the press service said.

Currently, the balance of sugar stocks in warehouses and imports to Kazakhstan is about 256 thousand tons. This is half of the country’s annual demand (500-550 thousand tons).

“The stocks of sugar and cane raw material in warehouses today amount to 136 thousand tons. Together with the quota for the import of Russian sugar in the amount of 120 thousand tons until August 31, 2024, it is about 256 thousand tons. In addition, Kazakhstan has a quota for duty-free import of 300 thousand tons of cane raw material for processing by the end of 2024. On average, consumption per month is 46 thousand tons, and in summer demand reaches 60 thousand tons. The available sugar stocks are more than enough to meet the demand for sugar until the new harvest,” said Vice Minister of Agriculture Yerbol Taszhurekov.

The press service of the Cabinet of Ministers added that in the near future the Kazakh side plans to hold talks with Russian colleagues to increase the quota for the supply of Russian sugar by another 100 thousand tons by the end of the year. At the same time, in order to ensure uninterrupted supply of sugar to Kazakhstan, the MEC meeting made a collective decision to introduce a temporary ban on sugar exports from Kazakhstan to third countries, including the EAEU member states, until August 31, 2024. This measure will not affect international transit.

Tags: Kazakhstan, export, sugar, restrictions