Kazakhstan: Ministry Sees No Grounds for Potato Export Limits, Keeps 400,000 t Export Potential
Vice Minister of Agriculture Nazgul Khatepova said on 29 September that Kazakhstan will not restrict potato exports. The ministry expects a 2.8 Mt harvest; 2.5 Mt is already dug.
Kazakhstan does not plan to restrict potato exports this season. Vice Minister of Agriculture Nazgul Khatepova said this on 29 September 2026, according to the news sites Zakon.kz and Informburo.kz. She said the ministry sees no grounds to introduce any restrictions on potato exports. She noted that the government has introduced restrictions several times in past years.
The vice minister said the ministry expects a gross potato harvest of 2.8 million tonnes, which is about the level of last year. Farmers have already harvested 2.5 million tonnes. Kazakhstan exported 388,000 tonnes of potatoes last year. The ministry estimated the export potential at 400,000 tonnes and expects the same potential this year.
Potato prices in Karaganda and Pavlodar regions are 90–100 tenge per kilogram, she said. Uzbekistan is the traditional and largest buyer of Kazakh potatoes. The ministry works with the trade ministry, regional governments and large retail chains. They organise advance purchases, so that the domestic market has enough potatoes while the surplus can go abroad.
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A different forecast from growers
The ministry forecast is lower than the forecast of the growers. On 27 September, the state news agency Kazinform quoted Baizhan Ualkhanov, head of the Union of Potato Growers. He expects a harvest of about 3.3 million tonnes. He said the country has more than enough potatoes, but there will be fewer large tubers than last year.
Kazinform also reported that Kazakhstan produced 2.84 million tonnes in 2025. Imports fell by 69% to 54,700 tonnes in January–June 2026. Regional stabilisation funds hold 50,600 tonnes of potatoes. National demand is about 2 million tonnes per year.
Why it matters
Kazakhstan has banned or limited potato exports in several past seasons, which hurt traders in Uzbekistan and other neighbours. A clear statement early in the season gives exporters time to sign contracts for the winter.
Both forecasts are well above domestic demand of about 2 million tonnes. The difference between 2.8 and 3.3 million tonnes is still large. It affects how much Kazakhstan can sell abroad and how far prices may fall. The final figure will come from the statistics bureau after the harvest.
Photo: Autumn harvest season in Kazakhstan (illustrative). NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from Greenbelt, MD, USA / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
