Kazakhstan considering a single grain company

Kazakhstan’s Agriculture Ministry is launching a single grain company, the Ministry’s Press Service reports. “The Company will be established as a public-private partnership. It is supposed to be a major grain trader to tackle the issues of purchase and storage of grain, exports operations, promotion of the Kazakh grain brand oversees”, the statement reads. The Single Grain Company will be arranging grain swap operations and developing grain storage and transportation infrastructure (construction of grain storage facilities in the southern regions of the country to unload grain elevators based in the traditional grain belt in the northern regions; construction of grain terminals at border crossings and in sea ports offering new export opportunities). According to the State Agency for Statistics, grain production in Kazakhstan in 2011 totaled 26.9 million tons (net weight), with exports potential standing at 15 million tons. 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).