Kazakhstan reintroduces ban on wheat imports

Tengrinews.kz – Kazakhstan plans to introduce a ban on wheat imports. A corresponding draft order by the Minister of Agriculture has appeared on the Open Legal Acts portal.

According to the document, Kazakhstan plans to ban the import of wheat by road, water and rail transport for six months. The restriction will apply both to countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and to other states.

An exception will be made for rail deliveries to poultry farms, flour mills, licensed grain elevators and the national company Food Contract Corporation.

At the same time, wheat imported for poultry and flour-milling enterprises will not be allowed to be resold on the domestic or external markets.

According to the developers of the document, the ban will not affect transit transportation through the territory of Kazakhstan, as well as transportation between EAEU countries through the republic’s territory.

The Ministry of Agriculture notes that the measure is aimed at supporting Kazakh producers and ensuring stable sales of domestic products.

As a reminder, Kazakhstan already had a ban on wheat imports in 2024. It expired on January 1, 2025. At that time, the Ministry of Agriculture stated that there would be no import restrictions.

In the future, the issue of introducing any non-tariff measures to regulate wheat imports was planned to be decided taking into account the situation on the grain market. In particular, this concerned grain stocks, the balance of supply and demand on the market, protection of the interests of domestic producers, measures to combat “gray imports” and illegal re-export, as well as the situation on the global grain market.

The ban on wheat imports to Kazakhstan was introduced to protect the domestic market and prevent cases of grain re-export.