In 2013 Kazakhstan exported 5.023 million tons of wheat, a 32-percent decrease compared to 2012, Novosti-Kazakhstan reported citing the country’s Statistics Agency.

In monetary terms, the wheat export last year amounted to $1.235 billion, a 21.9-percent decrease on-year.

In 2013 Kazakhstan also exported 1.859 million tons of wheat and rye flour (16.2 percent down) worth $575 million (4.3 percent down).

Kazakhstan, one of the world’s largest grain exporters, harvested 14.5 million tons of wheat in 2013. In 2012 the harvest was 12.8 million tons. In 2011 the country saw a record high grain harvest at almost 27 million tons.

China may become one of the major sales markets for Kazakh grain in the future, Meyrzhan Maykenov, deputy chairman of Kazakhstan’s National Agency for Export and Investment Kaznex Invest, told a news conference in Astana last month.

In his words, a test batch of Kazakh grain was delivered to China in December 2013, though negotiations on Kazakh grain exports to China had been conducted since long ago, allaboutfeed.net reported.

"Why was the negotiation process delayed, even though China is near and transportation costs are small? The problem was due to China's strict conditions for packaging and transportation of grain from other countries, as well the sanitary and epidemiological requirements. In addition, China supports its producers by imposing quotas for foreign grain supplies," the official said.

Agreement on the supply of flour and grain from Kazakhstan to China was reached at the meetings of the leaders of the two countries in April and September 2013.

During December 2013, the Food Corporation of Kazakhstan exported around 10,000 tons of wheat to China.

BlackSeaGrain