Kazakhstan launches vegetable oil exports to Iran via the Caspian Sea

Kazakhstan has for the first time shipped a cargo of rapeseed oil to Iran via the port of Aktau, launching a new export route across the Caspian Sea. The first shipment amounted to 5,000 tonnes, with vessel loading taking about 2.5 days.

According to the National Association of Oilseed Processors of Kazakhstan (NAOPK), the buyer of the rapeseed oil was Iran’s Kourosh Food Industry, while the exporter was one of Kazakhstan’s leading oil-processing plants. On May 13, loading of a second vessel was completed in Aktau, this time carrying 5,000 tonnes of sunflower oil.

NAOPK notes that Iran represents significant import potential for Kazakhstan’s vegetable oil sector. The country imports around 3.5 million tonnes of vegetable oils and oilmeal annually, of which about 1.5 million tonnes are vegetable oils.

NAOPK Chairman Yadykar Ibragimov highlighted that Kazakhstan benefits from growing demand, Caspian Sea access, and preferential trade terms under the EAEU–Iran free trade agreement. Over the past three years, Kazakhstan has exported more than 100,000 tonnes of oilseed products to Iran.

The association estimates that the new route could handle 150,000–200,000 tonnes of vegetable oil per year. Aktau port is technically capable of loading 3–4 vessels per month, while total exports of oils and meal to Iran could exceed 500,000 tonnes annually in the long term.

Tags: Iran, Kazakhstan, rapeseed oil