The government of Kazakhstan has decided to limit potato exports for a period of 6 months, according to Tengrinews.kz.
This suspension of exports is expected to stabilize vegetable prices and prevent speculative actions in the market. In recent months, authorities in the republic have noted an increased demand for potato supplies in neighboring countries, particularly in Uzbekistan.
Potato exports have increased by almost 1.5 times compared to the 2023 harvest, reaching 605 thousand tons. Just last week, prices for export-oriented producers rose from 170 to 270 tenge.
The situation has impacted the domestic market, causing a sharp rise in prices in several regions of Kazakhstan. Prices in the Aktobe, Zhetysu, and Kyzylorda regions doubled within a week.
The Interagency Commission on Trade Issues decided on January 18 to limit potato exports to markets outside the EAEU countries. Additionally, as of January 16, the issuance of phytosanitary certificates for export has been suspended.
The Ministry of Trade and Integration has promised to organize monitoring of the situation on the ground in collaboration with antimonopoly authorities. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture stated that the country has sufficient potato stocks to meet domestic demand until the early harvest of 2025, totaling over 850 thousand tons.
In 2024, the average price of potatoes in Kazakhstan has risen by 37.7%, reports Inbusiness.kz. Contributing factors include spring floods that delayed the start of the planting campaign and unfavorable weather during the summer.
According to the Statistics Agency, from January to November 2024, Uzbekistan imported 627 thousand tons of potatoes. Almost three-quarters of this volume (465.2 thousand tons) came from Kazakhstan.
Earlier, Spot reported that in 2024, Uzbekistan became the main buyer of wheat from Kazakhstan.