Kazakhstan demands reduction of sunflower seeds export duty

Members of Kazakhstan’s Mazhilis have criticized the current export duty on sunflower seeds, saying it is “strangling farmers” and causing heavy losses to the sector. MP Nurzhan Ashimbetov urged the government to halve the fiscal burden, arguing that fears of all raw materials being exported abroad are unfounded.

According to lawmakers, local processors are buying Kazakh sunflower seeds at 130–140 thousand tenge per ton, while farmers say a fair price would be around 200 thousand tenge. This price gap threatens farm profitability, as many processors instead import cheaper raw materials from Russia.

Earlier, Kazakh farmers appealed to the Ministry of Agriculture to set a minimum purchase price for sunflower seeds, below which oil producers would not be allowed to buy. The current 20% export duty (at least €100 per ton) has been in force since February 4, 2023, and producers have repeatedly requested a review.

Government data show that during the duty’s application, 24.1 billion tenge ($44.8 million) was collected for the budget. Over the same period, sunflower oil production rose 2.5 times, and exports grew 4.8 times, pushing Kazakhstan into the world’s top 10 sunflower oil exporters, ranking eighth. Domestic oil prices have also stabilized.

The country expects its oilseed harvest to grow by more than 20% this season, while the National Association of Oilseed Processors (NAPMK) forecasts a continued rise in oilseed cultivation in crop rotations.

(1,000 tenge ≈ 1.86 USD)

Tags: Kazakhstan, sunseed, duties