ASTANA – Kazakhstan exported a record 8.87 million tons of wheat from September 2025 to August 2026, as strong demand from Central Asian markets and Afghanistan helped drive shipments to the highest level on record, according to the Grain Union of Kazakhstan.
Photo credit: Agriculture Ministry.
The figure represents a 16.2% increase from the same period last year, said Yevgeniy Karabanov, head of the union’s Analytics Committee.
The export surge coincided with growing railway shipments of grain. According to the Ministry of Transport, 10.8 million tons of grain were transported across Kazakhstan’s railway network in January–September, up 12% from the same period last year. Export-bound grain shipments reached 8.4 million tons, an increase of 14%.
Central Asia remains the main destination
Central Asian markets accounted for the majority of Kazakhstan’s wheat exports in the 2025/26 marketing year. Kazakhstan shipped nearly seven million tons of wheat to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Turkmenistan, representing 78.7% of total wheat exports. Uzbekistan alone accounted for 60.8% of all shipments.
Railway data for January–September shows a similar concentration of grain flows toward the region. Kazakhstan transported 5.5 million tons of grain by rail to Central Asian countries, 33% more than a year earlier.
Uzbekistan received 4.11 million tons, up 44%, while shipments to Tajikistan rose 16% to 1.18 million tonnes. Smaller volumes were sent to the Kyrgyz Republic and Turkmenistan. Demand from Afghanistan also remained strong. Wheat exports to the country increased 2.6 times over the marketing year, according to the Grain Union.
The ministry reported that 762,000 tons of grain were transported by rail to Afghanistan in January–September, 4.3 times more than during the same period of 2025.
Kazakhstan expands its export geography
Kazakhstan also recorded sharp increases in wheat shipments to several markets outside its traditional destinations. Exports to Iran increased 617 times, while shipments to Türkiye rose 27 times and those to Russia 12 times. Exports to Uzbekistan increased 42%, Tajikistan 5.7% and the United Kingdom threefold.
Kazakh wheat also entered markets that had not received shipments during the previous marketing year. Around 6,000 tons were exported to France and 23,600 tons to Tunisia.
At the same time, exports to several destinations declined. Shipments to Turkmenistan fell to 28,000 tons, while exports to Azerbaijan decreased to 220,000 tons, Italy to 242,200 tons and Georgia to 39,400 tons.
Exports to China fell more than fourfold to 43,200 tons. Karabanov said the decline was offset by a 1.43 million-ton increase in shipments of feed meal to China, up 65%. Railway data, meanwhile, points to continued growth in grain flows to China, with 750,000 tons transported there in January–September, 54% more than a year earlier.
New harvest drives railway loading
The increase in grain transportation has continued into the new harvesting season. In September, grain loading reached 1.45 million tons, a record monthly figure and 7% above the level recorded in September 2025, according to the ministry.
The ministry attributed the continued growth in grain transportation to preparations for the new harvest and said a special grain headquarters had been established to coordinate railway shipments. The headquarters coordinates participants in the transportation process, monitors the readiness of railway infrastructure and rolling stock, and addresses operational issues that may arise during the harvest season.
According to the ministry, Kazakhstan 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 needed.
Strong demand supports export growth
According to Karabanov, the acceleration in wheat exports in August was linked to early harvesting and low wheat stocks in importing countries. Strong demand from Central Asia and Afghanistan persisted throughout the marketing year, helping Kazakhstan expand wheat exports despite weaker shipments to several individual markets.
The record export result also highlights the importance of railway capacity for moving the new harvest to Kazakhstan’s main export destinations, particularly Central Asia, China and Afghanistan.
