In January-April 2022, Kazakhstan exported 193 thousand tons of barley worth $50.6 million. Iran remains the main buyer, which bought 102.3 thousand tons of products for $29.4 million in four months. ElDala.kz was informed about this in the press service of the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan.
In total, Iran accounted for 53% of Kazakhstan's barley exports this year. And in 2021, barley exports to this country amounted to 550.7 thousand tons in the amount of $120.4 million.
In addition to Iran, Kazakhstan this year delivered 45.3 thousand tons of barley to China, 28.3 thousand tons to Uzbekistan and 14.8 thousand tons to Tajikistan.
Also this year, there is a revival of exports in the Chinese direction. In January-April, China sold 45.3 thousand tons of barley worth $11.7 million. This is about 24% of the total export volume. At the same time, for the whole of 2021, 95.7 thousand tons of Kazakh barley went to China for $19.8 thousand.
Grain is mainly exported by rail and sea.
“The main volume of barley export to Iran is carried out by sea through the Caspian Sea (Aktau port). Also, in the direction of Iran, Kazakh exporters use the railway route through the Bolashak station - through Turkmenistan (Sarakhs station). The remaining volumes of barley exports are carried out by rail. To Uzbekistan - through the Saryagash station, to China - through the Dostyk station," the Ministry of Agriculture clarified.
An average of 1.6-1.8 million tons of barley is spent annually for domestic needs of Kazakhstan. The main demand is formed by livestock and poultry farms, as well as feed mills.
To provide livestock breeders with grain, a fodder fund is being formed in the Republic of Kazakhstan. To this end, the Food Corporation, starting from 2020, is purchasing barley under the forward purchase program. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, this year, 9.7 thousand tons of barley were sold to livestock and poultry farms from the 2021 harvest at a price of 102 thousand tenge per ton.
Recall that this year the Food Corporation plans to purchase 200 thousand tons of agricultural products (soft and durum wheat, barley, oats, sunflower, flax, rapeseed, soybeans, buckwheat, corn) for the fodder fund, it is planned to allocate 20 billion tenge for forward purchases.