Kazakhstan exported around 8,000 tonnes of
vegetable oils to Afghanistan in the first half of 2023. In the past year, the
country supplied about 18,000 tonnes. Currently, Kazakhstan aims to exceed this
indicator. It bears noting that the top three importers of Kazakh oil and fat
products for the first six months of 2023 are China, Uzbekistan, and
Tajikistan, with Afghanistan holding the fifth position on the list.
“Within this context, our domestic fat-and-oil enterprises have the opportunity to grow their presence in the Afghan market, which demonstrates a demand for sunflower oil. The current indicators underline Afghanistan’s interest in working with Kazakhstan. We also have an opportunity to compete with Russian suppliers,” Yadykar Ibragimov, Chairperson of the National Association of Oilseed Processors, said.
It bears noting that at the Kazakh-Afghan
business forum in Astana, the parties signed contracts worth over $190 million,
with 22 percent of them relating to sunflower oil exports.