November 27, 2006

Kazakhstan ups 2006/07 grain export forecast to 8 million tonnes

Kazakhstan can export in the 2006/07 marketing year 8 million tonnes of grain, four times the amount exported in the previous marketing year, the agriculture ministry announced Friday (Nov 24).

The previous export estimate by the country's President Nursultan Nazarbayev was 6-7 million tonnes.

The agriculture ministry said in the current marketing year traditional grain exporting countries faced smaller harvests than usual, while Kazakhstan's grain harvest increased to 16 million tonnes in clean weight from 13.5 million tonnes last year.

It added that the country could become one of the major grain suppliers to the world market.