Kazakhstan's Ministry of Agriculture said on October 30 that the 2026 harvest season produced 24.3 million tonnes of grain, one of the highest results in the past 15 years; only the two previous record years produced more. The same release says about 72% of soft wheat delivered to storage is Class 3, and grain and flour exports in the last two marketing years set records for the independence era.
Where does this year's grain harvest stand?
According to the ministry, 24.3 million tonnes is among the highest results of the past 15 years, with only the two previous record years higher. The ministry attributes the result to the overall production capacity of the agro-industrial complex and says agricultural modernization is proceeding on the tasks set by the head of state: raising labor productivity, reducing production risks and expanding export capacity.
What is the quality of the wheat delivered to storage?
The ministry gave preliminary figures:
- About 72% of soft wheat delivered to grain elevators meets Class 3 standards.
- Among tested samples, 48% have gluten content above 28%.
- In Akmola Region, Class 3 wheat reached 90% and Hi-Pro class wheat 70%.
The ministry believes the higher quality gives more room to use grain in food processing, develop deep processing and strengthen the competitiveness of domestic products on external markets.
What has changed in exports and production inputs?
On exports, according to the ministry, Kazakhstan exported 15.5 million tonnes and 16 million tonnes of grain and flour (in grain equivalent) in the last two marketing years, the highest on record since independence. Citing data from the national railway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, grain exports from September to October 19 this year were 1.657 million tonnes, up 9%.
On inputs, the ministry listed these figures:
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- Mineral fertilizers: application nearly tripled over three years to 1.8 million tonnes in 2025; 2.3 million tonnes are planned for 2026, with 2.1 million tonnes applied so far.
- Seeds: the share of elite seed has reached 12%.
- Farm machinery: this year's harvest used more than 130,000 tractors, 29,000 combine harvesters, 17,000 headers and about 130,000 other machines; the wear rate of machinery fell from 85% to 65% between 2023 and 2025, and the plan for 2026 is to raise the renewal rate to 8%.
- Preferential leasing: since the program began, farmers have bought more than 12,700 tractors and 2,340 combine harvesters, about 10% of the country's total fleet of tractors and combines.
Frequently asked questions
### Where does 24.3 million tonnes rank in recent years?
According to the ministry, it is among the highest in the past 15 years; higher output in this period came only in the two previous record years.
### Is the roughly 72% share of Class 3 wheat final data?
No. The ministry says "according to preliminary data", and about 72% refers to the share of Class 3 among soft wheat delivered to storage; final statistics will come in later releases.
### What do the export figures tell us?
The release gives only historical numbers: grain and flour exports in the last two marketing years were 15.5 million and 16 million tonnes, and grain exports from September to October 19 this year were up 9% from a year earlier; there is no breakdown by country.
Further reading
- More project news: Kazakhstan investment and projects news section
- Grain deep-processing expansion plans: Kazakhstan plans six major grain deep-processing projects by 2029
- Financing for feed-flour exports to China: Development Bank of Kazakhstan provides Kazmeal LTD with a 45 million yuan pre-export credit
- Investment implementation services in Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan market entry services
Sources
- Kazakhstan Ministry of Agriculture (published on memleket.kz), October 30: https://memleket.kz/ru/news/128526-kazaxstan-sobral-243-mln-tonn-zerna
The cover image was generated by AI and is not a real photograph.