Kazakhstan is witnessing significant growth in its processed exports, driven largely by demand from China and Central Asian countries. These regions account for more than half of Kazakhstan’s exports across 38 fast-growing product categories, as the country strengthens its agricultural processing capabilities and exports higher value-added products.
China alone purchased $913.9 million worth of Kazakhstan’s processed exports, which represents 27.4% of the total exports in these categories. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan collectively accounted for $825.7 million, or 24.8%. Russia and other members of the Eurasian Economic Union also received substantial portions, with 13.5% and 10.4% respectively.
The expansion of agricultural processing is a key factor in this export growth. From January to August, Kazakhstan’s processed agricultural exports reached $3.04 billion, marking a 35.1% increase compared to the same period in the previous year. Processed products now make up 54.1% of the country’s total agricultural export value.
Among the leading contributors to this growth are grain and oilseed products. Flour exports increased by 23% in volume to 1.38 million tons, generating around $400 million. Additionally, exports of sunflower, safflower, and cottonseed oils rose by 49% to $673 million, while rapeseed and mustard oil shipments grew 2.3 times to $90 million.
Other agricultural exports also showed strong performance. Beef exports surged by 78% to $164 million, whereas animal feed meal exports increased by 61% in value, reaching $578 million.
To further bolster its processing industry, Kazakhstan is planning and developing six major investment projects valued at approximately $4 billion. These projects, with a combined annual processing capacity of 5.8 million tons, will focus on producing starch, gluten, amino acids, and bioethanol. The expansion is expected to reduce Kazakhstan’s reliance on raw material exports, enhance domestic manufacturing, and improve the competitiveness of its processed products in the global market.