ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 3. Exports by rail of Kazakh grain to Central Asian countries surged in September 2025, Trend reports via the Kazakhstan Temir Zholy national company (Kazakhstan’s Railways or KTZ).
Uzbekistan received 50 percent more grain, Turkmenistan shipments rose 73 percent, and deliveries to Kyrgyzstan increased more than fourfold compared to the same period last year. In total, Central Asian countries imported 647,000 tons of grain, up 44 percent year-on-year.
Overall, over 1 million tons of grain were exported by rail from Kazakhstan in September, a 19 percent increase compared to September 2024. The total volume of grain transported across KTZ network reached 1.3 million tons, up 28 percent, including 318,000 tons shipped domestically (+71 percent).
Exports to the Black Sea ports rose 26 percent, while shipments to the Baltic ports increased 11 times.
For the first nine months of 2025, grain transport via the KTZ network totaled 9.6 million tons, a 40 percent increase year-on-year. Domestic shipments reached 2.3 million tons (+33 percent), while exports totaled 7.3 million tons (+43 percent). Of these, 4.1 million tons were sent to Central Asia (+34 percent), shipments to Afghanistan rose 40 percent, volumes via Aktau and Kuryk ports tripled, and shipments to Baltic countries increased 14 times.
To note, Kazakhstan exhibits a fluctuating grain yield annually, achieving a historic high of 26.5 million tons in 2024, alongside a quinquennial mean wheat output of 14.6 million tons for the 2024-2025 cycle. The aggregate yearly output is substantially influenced by climatic variables, with optimal meteorological conditions in 2024 resulting in elevated crop yields. Wheat serves as the predominant cereal crop, representing the most significant share of agricultural output; however, Kazakhstan concurrently cultivates considerable volumes of barley, alongside lesser metrics of maize and various other cereal varieties.
