August 18, 2004

Kazakhstan Expects To Export 5 Million MT Grain In 2004-05
 
Kazakhstan will be able to export around five million metric tons of grain in the 2004-05 marketing year (July-June), relatively stable on the year, First Vice-President of the state Food Corporation Abai Bisembayev said Tuesday, the Prime-Tass news agency reported.
 
Wheat is the main grain exported from Kazakhstan, which mainly goes to Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran.
 
Kazakhstan is expected to harvest 11.5-12.0 million tons of grain this year, down from around 14 million tons last year. The decline is expected due to a drop in the planted area, as spring grain was planted this year on 13.5 million hectares, down 3% on the year.
 
Bisembayev said the carryover stocks from the last harvest amount to around two million tons, while the annual domestic requirements are at slightly over eight million tons.
 
The Food Corporation plans to buy 2.5 million tons of grain from the new harvest. Milling wheat is expected to be purchased from farmers at around $98/ton. The company plans to attract loans from foreign banks to finance the operations.
 
The U.S. Department of Agriculture expects Kazakhstan's wheat exports to be relatively stable at 5.5 million tons in 2004-05, up from 5.2 million tons in 2003-04. Kazakhstan's wheat output is seen at around 12 million tons, up from 11.5 million tons last year.