Kazakhstan mulls exporting 3 million tons of grain to China in 2011

Kazakhstan expects to export about 3 million tons of grain to the neighboring China in 2011, Food Corporation National Company Chairman Beibitkhan Kabrdakhmanov said. “Kazakhstan had a bumper grain harvest in 2009 and hoped to send 3 million tons to and via China, but the plan failed. We will try to do it this year”, Kabrdakhmanov said at a press conference August 26. Sky-high grain harvest estimate stands at about 22 million tons as of the end of July, Agrosektor.kz reported earlier, citing the Kazakhstan’s Research Institute for Environmental and Climate Studies. According to the Institute, with favorable weather conditions in August and September the grain harvest can exceed the expectations, breaking the 2009 record. Agriculture Minister Assylzhan Mamytbekov had told a briefing August 17 2011 that grain harvest in Kazakhstan would make up 18.9 million tons. According to the Agriculture Ministry stats, Kazakhstan exported 5.9 million tons of grain in the 2010-2011 marketing year. This figure included grain equivalent of exported flour (2.5 million tons). The grain was traditionally exported to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan. According to the Government’s web-site, grain harvest in 2010 totaled 12.2 million tons (net weight). Grain harvest of 2009 made up 22.7 million tons (bunker weight).