Kazakhstan Records Highest Wheat Exports as Rail Shipments Grow
Kazakhstan exported a record 8.87 million tons of wheat during the 2025/26 marketing year, supported by strong demand from Central Asian countries and Afghanistan, according to the Grain Union of Kazakhstan.
The volume, covering September 2025 through August 2026, was 16.2% higher than a year earlier, said Yevgeniy Karabanov, head of the Grain Union’s Analytics Committee.
The increase in exports was accompanied by higher grain transportation by rail. The Ministry of Transport reported that 10.8 million tons of grain were carried across Kazakhstan’s railway network in January-September, an annual increase of 12%. Export-bound grain shipments rose 14% to 8.4 million tons.
Central Asia remained the main destination for Kazakh wheat. Nearly seven million tons were exported to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Turkmenistan, accounting for 78.7% of total wheat exports during the marketing year. Uzbekistan alone received 60.8% of all exported wheat.
Railway transportation data also points to growing grain flows toward Central Asian markets. Kazakhstan transported 5.5 million tons of grain by rail to the region in January-September, 33% more than during the same period a year earlier. Shipments to Uzbekistan increased 44% to 4.11 million tons, while deliveries to Tajikistan rose 16% to 1.18 million tons. Smaller volumes were transported to the Kyrgyz Republic and Turkmenistan.
Afghanistan also recorded a significant increase in demand. Kazakhstan’s wheat exports to the country grew 2.6 times during the marketing year. According to the Ministry of Transport, rail shipments of grain to Afghanistan reached 762,000 tons in January-September, 4.3 times higher than in the same period of 2025.
Grain transportation has remained strong with the start of the new harvesting season. Grain loading in September reached 1.45 million tons, the highest monthly figure on record and 7% above the September 2025 level.
The Ministry of Transport attributed the continued increase to preparations for the new harvest. A dedicated grain headquarters has been established to coordinate transportation, monitor the readiness of railway infrastructure and rolling stock, and address operational issues during the harvest period.
Kazakhstan currently has 16,900 grain wagons, 17,800 covered freight wagons and more than 2,000 locomotives available for grain transportation. The ministry said the existing rolling stock is sufficient to handle the expected volumes, with additional capacity available if required.
Photo credit: Agriculture Ministry
