Kazakhstan to export 0.5 million tonnes more grain

Kazakhstan will be able to export 0.5 million tonnes more grain by late 2010, the Agriculture Ministry reported.

"Kazakhstan will be able to send to export half a million tonnes of grain. Half a million is a real figure, which goes under the reached agreements," the ministry said.

The ministry reported that a half million will be distributed in three ways, including the Central Asian region, China and Iran.

"We also included Azerbaijan to the Central Asian region, where we have the grain terminal on a par," the ministry reported.

"In May, we drove about one million and we are going on the same pace in June," Shukeyev said.

"Every year elevators were shut down at this time and grain shipments stopped in the summer months. This year we will not stop the shipment," he added.

The volume of grain yield of 2009-2010 marketing year on the net weight amounted to 20.6 million tonnes in Kazakhstan.

According to the ministry, Kazakhstan completed the spring field work and the area of grain crops is 316,000 hectares of crops less compared to 2009. Wheat planted on an area of 14.2 million hectares, or 81,000 hectares less compared to 2009, and corn planted on an area of 95,400 hectares.