ASTANA, Kazakhstan, February 1. The number of export transportation orders increased 3.6 times and 2.7 times for the third and fourth quarters of 2024, respectively, resulting in an overall increase of 121 percent, driven by increased demand for transportation to Russia, Belarus and other European countries, including Germany, the Czech Republic and Latvia, Trend reports via the Freight Exchange ATI.SU.
Consequently, by the end of 2024, export transportation demand increased more than twofold compared to the record year of 2022.
“A significant contribution to this growth came from Russia (+122 percent) and Belarus (+300 percent). However, other routes also saw notable increases. For instance, demand for shipments to Germany (+190 percent), the Czech Republic (+146 percent), and Latvia (+145 percent) surged,”informed the international "ATI.SU Freight Exchange."
Meanwhile, it is noted that the sharp increase in demand has not yet led to changes in prices - on average, they remained at the level of 2023. This is probably due to high competition among carriers in this relatively lucrative export destination.
According to ATI.SU, import freight transportation is also growing, but at the usual market pace. In 2024, the number of posted applications for shipments from other countries to Kazakhstan increased by 43 percent compared to last year. A solid increase was also recorded in 2023 (+51 percent).
A notable revival in import routes occurred in the second half of the year, especially in the fourth quarter, when the number of applications rose by 84 percent. The prices for shipments to Kazakhstan from other countries increased at a moderate pace, growing by 7 percent over the year.
To note, Russia remains the leader in the number of applications for cargo delivery to Kazakhstan: on this route, the number of applications grew by 43 percent, and prices increased by 9 percent. The most dynamic growth in imports came from China: demand for shipments from the PRC to Kazakhstan rose by 210 percent, and prices increased by 32 percent. However, some European routes showed a decline. For example, Italy (-28 percent), Germany (-12 percent), and Poland (-12 percent).