Kazakhstan: Potato Exports Jump 10.6-Fold to 255.5 Thousand Tonnes, Growers See 3.3 Million Tonne Crop
Uzbekistan and Tajikistan bought most of the Kazakh potatoes shipped in the first half of 2026. The growers union expects a crop well above last year, while the ministry is more cautious.
Kazakhstan sold 255.5 thousand tonnes of potatoes abroad in January–June 2026. This is 10.6 times more than a year earlier. The business portal LS published the figures on 22 September. It cited data from the State Revenue Committee and the Bureau of National Statistics.
Uzbekistan was the main buyer. It took 210.3 thousand tonnes, 12.2 times more than in the first half of 2025. Tajikistan bought 43.6 thousand tonnes. A year earlier, its purchases were almost zero. Shipments to Russia fell 12.3 times, to 500.3 tonnes. Smaller volumes went to Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan.
The trend was visible early in the year. The analytical platform EastFruit reported in April that Kazakhstan shipped 141.4 thousand tonnes in January–February alone. Of this, 124.6 thousand tonnes went to Uzbekistan.
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Imports fell sharply
At the same time, Kazakhstan bought less potato from abroad. Imports in January–June 2026 reached 54.7 thousand tonnes, according to the national news agency Kazinform. That is 69% less than a year earlier. For the whole of 2025, imports totalled 213.8 thousand tonnes.
Growers expect a bigger crop than the ministry
The Union of Potato and Vegetable Growers of Kazakhstan expects a large 2026 harvest. Its chairman, Baizhan Ualkhanov, told Kazinform on 27 September: “We forecast a harvest of around 3.3 million tonnes.” In 2025, the country harvested 2.84 million tonnes. The union forecast is therefore about 16% higher.
The Ministry of Agriculture is more cautious. It expects a harvest at the level of the long-term average, if growers follow good agronomic practice. Potato area in organised farms grew to 89.9 thousand hectares, from 84.5 thousand hectares in 2025.
The union also warned about export limits. If the state restricts exports, producers risk losing the sales channels they have built, the union said.
Why it matters
Kazakhstan has turned from a net buyer into a regional supplier within one season. Uzbekistan and Tajikistan now depend on Kazakh potatoes in the first half of the year. A crop of 3.3 million tonnes would leave a large surplus for export again in 2027.
The gap between the union and the ministry matters for trade policy. If the official estimate stays low, the government may consider export limits. Buyers in Central Asia should watch the final harvest data and any decision on export rules.
Photo: A vegetable field in Kazakhstan (illustrative). Colleen Taugher / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
