Kazakhstan dramatically ups grain production
By Vusala Abbasova
Some 15.611 million metric tons of grain were harvested in Kazakhstan as of October 2, the Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture reported.
The grain crops are generally gathered from a 12.577 million hectare area, which is 85.3 percent of the total area, the statement said.
The average yield was 12.4 centners per hectare.
For comparison, some 13.914 million metric tons of grain with an average yield of 11.8 quintals per hectare were harvested in Kazakhstan in the same period of 2014.
The grain harvest is expected to be 17.3 million tons in 2015, according to the ministry of agriculture of Kazakhstan.
Some 17.162 million metric tons of grain and leguminous crops were gathered in Kazakhstan in 2014, which is 5.9 percent less than in 2013.
The average annual production of grain in Kazakhstan in 2005-2014 amounted to 17.4 million tons, which fully meets domestic demand and makes it possible to export high-quality grain surplus to foreign markets.
Kazakhstan, one of the world's major grain exporters, is a traditional exporter of grain to the Central Asian countries of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as to Afghanistan, Azerbaijan and Iran.
Earlier, the Ministry announced plans to increase the volume of grain exports to China, and through to the countries of Southeast Asia, and through Iran to the Gulf countries.
The country is also interested in increasing grain exports to more promising markets, including Europe and Turkey, where there is a constant demand for high-protein and durum wheat.
Kazakhstan set reasonable purchase prices for grain in the past year, including the cost of wheat Triticum aestivum L.3 class in amount of 35,000 tenge (at the rate of $1/182 tenge; about $192.30) per metric ton for VAT payers and 33,950 tenge ($186.50) per metric ton for non-payers of VAT at a gluten level of 23-24 percent.
If the gluten level is above 25 percent, it will cost 36,000 tenge ($200) for VAT payers and 34,920 tenge ($191.8) per metric ton for VAT-exempt consumers.
As for 2014, Kazakhstan's total revenue from wheat exports have grown in the past four years by almost 2.5 times to $1.2 billion in 2013, a staggering increase from $600 million in 2009.
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