July 21, 2009
Kazakhstan to boost wheat exports by one-third
Kazakhstan plans to increase its wheat exports by one-third this year, said the agriculture minister on Monday (Jul 20).
Kazakhstan stopped exporting wheat for five months last year to lower domestic prices, but is now seeking increased government revenue amid an economic crisis.
Agriculture minister Akylbek Kurishbayev said the top wheat export destinations are southern Russia, Iran, Afghanistan and other Central Asian countries.
Kazakhstan is currently the world's sixth largest grain exporter, after the US, Canada, Russia, Argentina and Ukraine, with about eight percent of the global market.
Kurishbayev said that lower harvest and export prospects for Ukraine this year might allow the resumption of Kazakhstan's wheat exports through Black Sea ports.
The International Grains Council reported in March that Ukraine's wheat harvest may decline by one-third to 18.2 million tonnes this year.
