ASTANA – Kazakhstan expects this year’s grain harvest to exceed the long-term average, with farmers having already harvested around 20 million tons of grain from 83% of planted areas, Deputy Agriculture Minister Nazgul Khatepova said at a Sept. 29 government press conference on the harvest campaign.
Photo credit: gov.kz
Kazakhstan’s grain harvest has typically stood at around 18-19 million tons in recent years, reported the Prime Minister’s press service.
The country has sufficient storage capacity to accommodate the new harvest, including carry-over stocks from previous years. Total grain storage capacity stands at 30.5 million tons, including 13.1 million tons at licensed elevators and 17.4 million tons at farms and agricultural enterprises.
Nearly 4.9 million tons of this year’s grain has already been placed in storage.
Potato exports seen at 400,000 tons
Nazgul Khatepova speaks at a government press conference on the harvest campaign. Photo credit: Prime Minister’s press service.
Kazakhstan expects a potato harvest of around 2.8 million tons, broadly matching last year’s level. The country exported 388,000 tons of potatoes last year, while this year’s export potential is estimated at 400,000 tons
Nearly 2.5 million tons have already been harvested. In the Karagandy and Pavlodar Regions, potatoes are currently selling for 90-100 tenge (US$0,23) per kilogram.
The Agriculture Ministry, together with local authorities and major retail chains, is working on advance contracting to help farmers export surplus potatoes.
Vegetable storage capacity sufficient
Existing vegetable storage facilities are also sufficient to preserve key produce through the off-season, according to the ministry.
Kazakhstan produces around 2.8-3 million tons of potatoes and 2.5-3 million tons of vegetables annually. The main types of produce require around 2.5-2.6 million tons of storage capacity. More than 700,000 tons of new capacity has been commissioned over the past three years.
Natural losses during harvesting, storage and transportation average 5-10%.
Beef prices remain stable
The domestic market remains fully supplied with locally produced beef, with no grounds for a sharp price increase, Khatepova said.
The average retail price is around 3,800 tenge (US$8,66) per kilogram nationwide, while prices in Astana start from nearly 3,800 tenge.
“Grounds for a sharp increase in prices are not observed. The domestic market is fully supplied through domestic production,” she said.
Kazakhstan produced 434,000 tons of beef last year, with production continuing to grow this year. The ministry said regional price fluctuations occur periodically, but no sustained upward trend has been recorded.
