Kazakhstan barley exports fall on lower shipments to Iran and China

ASTANA. Jan 30 (Interfax) - Kazakhstan exported 142,000 tonnes of barley in December 2025, a 25% decrease from November, Yevgeny Karabanov, head of analytics at the Grain Union, said on Telegram.

For the first four months (September-December) of the current 2025-26 marketing year, barley exports totaled 700,700 tonnes, down 24% from the same period a year earlier (918,200 tonnes).

The decline was driven by reduced shipments to two key markets. Exports to Iran fell 25% to 365,600 tonnes. Karabanov attributed this to a vessel shortage, a sharp rise in freight costs, and intense competition from Russian barley in October-November following a large harvest there.

Exports to China dropped 35% to 188,800 tonnes, primarily due to periodic logistical constraints at the congested Dostyk and Altynkol border stations.

Shipments to Azerbaijan fell to zero from 22,400 tonnes a year earlier, while exports to Iraq dropped more than fivefold to 900 tonnes.

The growth was partially offset by increased exports to Central Asian neighbors. Shipments to Uzbekistan rose 40% to 96.800 tonnes, while exports to Tajikistan grew 9% to 42,000 tonnes.

"Barley exports to Iran will depend on the country's domestic political stability and geopolitical factors directly affecting its financial situation. Exports to China continue to depend on the infrastructure capacity of the border stations," Karabanov said.

The union maintained its full-year export forecast for 2025-26 at 1.8 million tonnes. Kazakhstan exported 2 million tonnes of barley in the previous marketing year.

In 2025, Kazakhstan harvested approximately 4 million tonnes of barley, unchanged from 2024. The country's total grain harvest reached 27.1 million tonnes.