Kazakhstan shifts focus from wheat to oilseeds and deep grain processing

Kazakhstan is gradually reducing the share of grains in its crop structure while expanding oilseed area. The share of grains in total planted area has fallen from 72% to 66%, while the share of oilseeds has increased from 13% to 18%.

Oilseed area has already reached 5.2 mln ha. As of early October, 2.4 mln ha had been harvested, producing 2.4 mln tons, while the final oilseed crop is expected to exceed 5 mln tons.

At the same time, Kazakhstan remains one of the world’s largest wheat producers, ranking 11th globally with a share of around 2.3% of world output. Grains have been harvested from 13.5 mln ha, or 83% of the area, producing 19.9 mln tons at an average yield of 1.47 t/ha.

Kazakhstan is also placing greater emphasis on deep grain processing. By 2029, the country plans to implement six major investment projects with a combined annual capacity of 5.8 mln tons and total investment of around $4 billion.

Two deep corn processing projects have already been launched in 2026 — Kazkrahmal in Turkistan region and a Fufeng Group project in Zhambyl region. This strategy is expected to help Kazakhstan gradually increase the share of higher-value products alongside its traditional grain exports.

Tags: oilseeds, grain processing, Kazakhstan, grain