Kazakhstan's rice production has declined, while rice imports recorded a noteworthy surge. From January to July 2023, Kazakhstan produced 107.8 thousand tons of semi-milled, wholly milled, polished, and broken rice. According to data from the National Statistics Bureau, this marks a 15.3% PoP decrease compared to 2022.
Rice imports surged by 3.5 times during this period in 2023, rising from 5,500 tons to 19,100 tons, with imports accounting for 15% of the total rice supply. Meanwhile, rice exports also displayed positive growth, increasing by 9.9% to reach 69,800 tons, compared to 63,500 thousand tons from January to July last year.
At the same time, domestic sales of rice totaled 57,000 tons, marking a 17.7% decrease compared to the previous year.
Earlier, the Ministry of Agriculture reported that rice cultivation in 2023 covered 99.8 thousand hectares, an increase of 12,400 hectares from the previous year. Among the regions, the largest rice cultivation area was in the Kyzylorda region, covering 88,100 hectares. Other regions allocated their cultivation areas as follows: 7,000 hectares in Almaty, 1,000 hectares in Zhetysu, and 3,700 hectares in the Turkestan region. The ministry emphasized that the expected harvest will fully meet the needs of the domestic market and provide the necessary volumes for export.