March 20, 2006

Kazakhstan 2006 grain harvest seen up 10 percent on-year

Kazakhstan is likely to increase its grain harvest by 10 percent in 2006, compared with the 13.5 million tonnes in clean weight harvested in 2005, Agriculture Minister Arman Evniev said, according to the ministry's press office Friday.

Evniev said the grain planted area would remain at the 2005 level of 14.5 million hectares, but yields would be increased by improvements in the country's irrigation system.

Evniev forecast the 2006/07 grain export at between 3 million and 3.5 million tonnes, but added that everything would depend on the harvest situation in Russia and Ukraine.