According to the Bureau of National Statistics (BNS) of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, from January to November of the previous year, Kazakhstan exported approximately 126,000 tons of sugar. This is an unprecedented volume—13 times more than in the first 11 months of 2023, and even surpassing the total amount exported over the previous six years combined (109,000 tons).
Analysts reminded that last year the government imposed a temporary ban on sugar exports during the peak demand period for this product—from mid-June to the end of summer. During these three months, there was a sort of "stop" in supplies. Afterwards, exports resumed at previous levels: ranging from 15,000 to 21,000 tons per month.
The statistics do not specify whether the exported sugar is imported or domestically produced. However, based on data from the Ministry of Agriculture, it appears to be about re-export. The ministry's website states that "the temporary ban on sugar exports was introduced to ensure the domestic market and eliminate its re-export."
Judging by the export structure, for some portion of imported sugar, Kazakhstan indeed might have served merely as a transit point. For instance, from January to November 2024, Kazakhstan imported 373.2 thousand tons of sugar from Russia, which accounted for 92.4% of the total import volume. The main buyers of sugar from Kazakhstan are countries in Asia.
Of the 126,000 tons of sugar exported from Kazakhstan, more than 101.6 thousand tons, or 80.7%, were sent to Uzbekistan, 17.6 thousand tons to Tajikistan, and 6.1 thousand tons to Afghanistan. For each of these importing countries, supplies increased by 3 to 16 times. The monetary volume of sugar exports from Kazakhstan exceeded 50.2 million USD—ten times more than from January to November 2023.
“The issue of foreign trade in sugar is crucial for Kazakhstan because domestic producers are currently unable to fully meet the population's needs for this product. For example, in the incomplete year of 2024, the share of sugar production in resources was only 24.6%. A year earlier, from January to November 2023, domestic production accounted for 40.5% of the total resource volume—though better, it is still far from an adequate level of self-sufficiency. The deterioration of the situation was influenced by the negative dynamics of production. Over the 11 months of the previous year, sugar factories produced only 131.9 thousand tons of sugar. Compared to the same period in 2023, this represented a significant decrease of 28.6%,” noted the experts.
While domestic production fluctuates, the internal market's needs are largely met by imports. Last year, imports demonstrated significant weight in the resource structure: 75.4%. From January to November, the country imported 404.7 thousand tons of sugar—48.9% more than the previous year. Such a large volume of foreign supplies was last observed in 2020 (416.1 thousand tons).
Meanwhile, last year, the sown area for sugar beets in Kazakhstan was nearly doubled to 25.2 thousand hectares. This allowed officials to forecast a record gross harvest of about 1.1 million tons.
“It is important to note that the statistics of the food industry do not yet reflect data on the processing of such a large volume of this root crop. The processing period for the sugar beet harvest begins in the fall and lasts several months. Therefore, the final result of the joint efforts of farming households and sugar factories for 2024 will be known later. According to data presented at a meeting of the Government of Kazakhstan, the current production capacities of the country's sugar factories 'are struggling to cope with the growing volumes of beet harvest.' The country needs new enterprises. The state is ready to assist investors wishing to open sugar factories with subsidies, tax benefits, and credit resources,” concluded the analysts.