Kazakhstan to regain global leadership in flour exports

Kazakhstan is expected to regain its position as the world’s leading flour exporter in the 2026/27 marketing year. According to forecasts, the country will export around 2 mln tons of food flour and 3 mln tons of feed flour. Producing these volumes will require processing approximately 7.5 mln tons of wheat, equivalent to nearly half of the country’s expected harvest.

According to industry experts, no other major wheat-exporting country processes such a large share of its grain domestically. While processed products account for about 5% of Argentina’s wheat exports in grain equivalent and only 1% in Australia, the figure for Kazakhstan reaches 50%.

One of the key drivers of this growth has been the rapid expansion of feed flour production using lower-quality wheat. Strong demand, particularly from China, has created a new export market and provided a stable outlet for grain that previously had limited commercial value.

Feed flour exports are expected to reach 3 mln tons this year, exceeding food flour exports by 50%. This has increased demand for feed-grade wheat and improved price conditions for Kazakh farmers.

Industry representatives say maintaining this progress will depend on avoiding administrative restrictions on wheat exports. In their view, market-based policies allow both grain production and processing to develop simultaneously, while export duties or quotas could undermine the country’s agricultural sector.

Tags: Kazakhstan, export, flour