Kazakhstan records a weak start to durum wheat exports

2025, exports of durum wheat (excluding EAEU countries) totaled 30,700 tonnes. While this was 8.3 times higher than in November, it was still 27% lower than in December of the previous marketing year, highlighting the overall sluggish performance of the season. Italy remained the main buyer of Kazakh durum wheat, but its purchases dropped sharply. During September–December 2025/26, Italy imported just 9,400 tonnes, a 6.7-fold decline compared with the same period of the 2024/25 marketing year. Besides Italy, Kazakhstan exported durum wheat to Turkey — 21,600 tonnes (up 27 times year on year), Latvia — 7,200 tonnes (down 3.7 times), Uzbekistan — 1,200 tonnes (up twofold), and Tajikistan — 1,000 tonnes (down 4.7 times). Supplies were also made to Portugal (2,200 tonnes) and Afghanistan (2,100 tonnes), markets that had not imported Kazakh durum wheat during the same period last season. According to the Grain Union of Kazakhstan, the poor start to the season is mainly due to a strong ...