Kazakhstan may limit potato exports due to crop failure in Russia

The Kazakh government is considering introducing quotas for potato exports due to a significant reduction in the harvest in neighboring Russia, which creates risks of mass export of products. The authorities plan to oblige farmers to sell half of the harvest on the domestic market in order to control prices and ensure food security.

This is reported by the Kazakh agency APK News.

According to Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, in Russia the harvest of potatoes in the organized sector has decreased to 7.3 million tons, which is 1.5 million tons less than last year’s figures. Such a deficit among neighbors may provoke a surge in demand for Kazakh potatoes from Central Asian countries, which previously purchased Russian products.

In 2025, Kazakhstan harvested more than 2.9 million tons of potatoes with an average yield of 225.9 centners/hectare. The area under the crop was 131.2 thousand hectares, with households providing 36% of the harvest. Currently, the main buyer remains Uzbekistan, which accounts for over 90% of exports.

To protect the domestic consumer, the government has already contracted 146.8 thousand tons of products. The quota mechanism, which is currently being discussed, provides for counter-obligations for large farmers: the right to export 50% of the harvest will be granted only if the other half is sold within the country. An additional factor for restrictions was climatic conditions: high humidity and early frosts negatively affect the shelf life of potatoes.

Tags: restrictions, Russia, Kazakhstan, potato