Rapeseed harvest in Kazakhstan decreased by 34%

Kazakh farmers harvested about 123.2 thousand tons of rapeseed at the end of last year, according to official statistics. Compared with 2022 gross oilseed harvest fell by 34% to 188.6 thousand tons.

It is noted that the decline occurred against the backdrop of two factors: the reduction of sown areas under the crop (from 133.3 thousand hectares in 2022 to 92.6 thousand hectares) and the decline in yields (from 14.2 c/ha to 13.3 c/ha).

According to the head of the National Association of Oilseeds Processors (NAOPK) Yadykar Ibragimov, demand for rapeseed in the market of Kazakhstan remains quite high, the capacity of local plants can process more than 1 million tons of oilseeds per year, which is 9 times higher than the volume of gross harvest.

“Oil plants in 2020/21 MY and 2021/22 MY on average produced 32 thousand tons of rapeseed oil, and for the past 2022/23 MY production exceeded 79 thousand tons, which is a record for the entire history,” – reported the expert.

He also noted that China accounted for 74% of total rapeseed oil sales abroad at the end of last season.

“Given the available spare capacity, logistics capabilities and export potential, according to NAOPK, Kazakhstan is able to strengthen its position in the supply of rapeseed oil to China, processing domestic seeds,” – said the expert.

Tags: rapeseed, Kazakhstan