ASTANA – The Abai Region is the country’s leading exporter of gold, precious metals, paper, and cardboard products, the Economic Research Institute reported on its Telegram channel on April 20.
Photo credit: Al Jazeera. Click to see the map in full size. The map is designed by The Astana Times.
Foreign trade turnover of the region totaled $866.9 million in 2022, with exports reaching $508.9 million and imports — $358 million.
Raw materials accounted for 77 percent, semi-finished products — 22 percent, and finished products — only one percent of the region’s exports.
The list of the goods the region has sold included precious metal ores (64.4 percent), coal (7.9 percent), sunflower seeds (3.5 percent), gold (11.3 percent), Portland cement (1.9 percent) and sunflower oil (1.8 percent).
The region also exports non-corrugated paper boxes, isocyanates, wheat and flour, non-malleable iron castings, tires, copper ores, and concentrates.
The region’s imports comprise 49 percent of finished goods, 30 percent of semi-finished products, and 20 percent of raw materials.
The region purchased sunflower seeds (14.8 percent), tires (21.4 percent), car bodies and parts (11 percent), and timber products (2.7 percent).
Russia accounted for 88 percent of exports, followed by China with 4.9 percent, Uzbekistan with 1.5 percent, the Kyrgyz Republic with 3.8 percent, and Poland with 0.7 percent.
The top importing countries are Russia (88.5 percent), Belarus (3.8 percent), and China (3.1 percent).
In the first two months of 2023, the trade turnover totaled $221 million, with exports of $122.7 million and imports of $98.3 million.
Russia has the most considerable proportion of 68 percent in exports and 62 percent in the region’s imports this year.
