Baku, Azerbaijan, March 1
By Rashid Shirinov – Trend:
Rice production in Kazakhstan in January decreased by 26.3 percent year-on-year to 9,400 tons, Trend reports via EnergyProm.kz.
The country's rice growing is concentrated in the Kyzylorda region (94.9 percent of the total production in January). The region also saw a significant reduction in output: by 26.7 percent year-on-year, to 8,900 tons.
At the same time, rice harvest is also decreasing: in 2018, harvest in the Kyzylorda region declined to 481,900 tons against 497,200 tons in 2017.
It should be noted that the reduction of the gross rice harvest occurs according to plan. The Regional Program for the Development of the Agro-Industrial Complex in the Kyzylorda region envisages a 6-percent decrease in the rice acreage in 2017-2022 in favor of other strategically important crops.
Accordingly, the gross rice harvest should reduce by 4.5 percent in the five years, while the harvest of other crops such as oilseeds, fruit, berries and grains will increase several times.
Last year, exports of rice from Kazakhstan decreased by 3.6 percent in natural terms, to 95,400 tons. However, exports increased by 17.9 percent in money, to $26 million.
The main importers of Kazakh rice in 2018 were Tajikistan, Russia and Uzbekistan.
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