At present, only the high transit railway tariff for the passage of goods through the territory of Kazakhstan is holding back the supply of Russian wheat to Central Asia, the main market for Kazakhstan's own grain. At the same time, a similarly high transit tariff for Kazakh wheat through the territory of Russia is holding back the shipment of Kazakh agricultural products to world markets from Russian seaports. The countries plan to discuss a mutual reduction in transit tariffs in 2025, writes RZD-Partner.RU.
The head of the Russian Ministry of Agriculture Oksana Lut spoke about the negotiations with Kazakhstan regarding the transit tariff.
“We have Kazakhstan and southern markets that are accessible by rail. However, due to high transit tariffs, transportation volumes remain low. We are striving to achieve equal tariffs with residents of Kazakhstan in order to gain competitive advantages. We hope that this year we will be able to resolve this issue,” the minister said.
Oksana Lut noted that Kazakhstan is interested in cooperation with Russian grain traders in order to supply products to international markets through Russian ports. According to her, this is in line with Kazakhstan's strategic plans, which plans to double grain exports by 2028.
The head of the Ministry of Agriculture also commented on the lifting of the ban on Russian wheat supplies to Kazakhstan from January 1. She noted that in 2024, Kazakhstan harvested a high wheat crop, which resulted in lower prices on the domestic market.
"After the ban on imports was lifted from January 1, Russian grain did not go there, since prices inside Kazakhstan remain very low," Lut explained.