Kazakhstan has enough grain reserves, which will last until the next harvest season. Kazakh First Deputy Minister of Agriculture Aidarbek Saparov refuted the information about the grain deficit in the country. According to him, as of April 1, there were 6.4 million tons of grain in Kazakhstan. And this volume is more than enough to supply the domestic market, as well as send some for export, including as wheat flour. As the minister emphasized, the issue is not in the shortage, but in the cost of grain.
“Previously, flour mills of our country, particularly in the bordering Pavlodar and North Kazakhstan regions, actively imported wheat from Russia at a lower price. Now, Russia imposed a ban on the export of grain crops. This decision is forcing millers to urgently switch to purchases in the domestic market, where, accordingly, the price of grain has increased,” Saparov said.
Today, agricultural producers store half of the grain available in the country. Naturally, they want to sell their products at a higher price. According to media reports, the cost of wheat reaches 160,000 tenge (US$360) per tonne. Aidarbek Saparov once again reminded that for the production of social bread, it was decided to supply grain to the regions at 90,000 tenge (US$202) per tonne. At the same time, the Food Corporation stores more than 800,000 tonnes, which, if necessary, can be sold to the domestic market in order to stabilize the situation.
“In order to avoid a shortage in the domestic market and the overloading of flour mills, the Interdepartmental Commission on Foreign Trade Policy and Participation in International Economic Organizations decided on April 1, 2022 to introduce quotas for the export of wheat and flour from April 15 to June 15. The quota for wheat is one million tonnes, for flour - 300,000 tonnes,” Saparov added.
The First Deputy Minister also said that in order to assess the real situation in the domestic market, the Ministry of Agriculture with the Bureau of National Statistics and governors’ offices are conducting the wheat inventory in the regions.
Translation by Saule Mukhamejanova
Editing by Galiya Khassenkhanova
