August 12, 2008

Kazakhstan considers lifting grain export ban

Kazakhstan, Central Asia's largest grain exporter, will review the current grain exports ban this week and lift it if the government considers reserves sufficient, Prime Minister Karim Masimov said on Monday (Aug 11, 2008).

Kazakhstan suspended grain exports in April to curb inflation and prevent shortages on the domestic market. The suspension was supposed to last until September 1.

Masimov said the government would lift the ban if there is sufficient reason to believe the domestic market would not suffer as a result.

The country's grain harvest this year is expected to be down 20 percent to 16 million tonnes, compared to last year's record 20.1 million tonnes.