Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan left without domestic sunflower

Most of the sunflower was exported to China. Because of this, the producers of oils can now use only the imported seeds.

Producers of oils claim that they are accused of using the imported seeds in the production of fat and oil products, but they explain that this is because they simply cannot purchase the sunflower seeds grown in Kazakhstan. Last year, a similar situation was observed when all enterprises were left without domestic raw materials, since all the harvest was exported to China.

Also, manufacturers argue that official statistics do not correspond to real situation. According to the official statistics, the export volumes of sunflower is not that big, but in reality the domestic producers do not have opportunity to buy it, and if they manage to purchase domestic sunflower, then China still interrupts prices.

To date, sunflower is the main oilseed crop of the Republic, and 871 thousand hectares are allocated for it, which is 40% of all areas allocated for oilseeds.

In 2016, 754 thousand tons of this crop was harvested, and according to official data, 178 thousand tons were exported, which is 25% of the total harvest. The main importers of sunflower are Uzbekistan (53% of total exports) and China (41% of total exports).

In Kazakhstan, the production activity of one of the largest producers of oil from domestic sunflower has been terminated. This is due to the fact that the area allocated for sunflower cultivation has decreased in the country.

Kazakhstan is a major producer of sunflower oil, but import raw materials account for a significant share. In this regard, the abolition of the production of oil from domestic sunflower may adversely affect the industry.

In addition, this may affect the export of oil from Kazakhstan, since in the face of a reduction in the production of domestic sunflower, the country may face a lack of raw materials for the production of oil.

However, on the other hand, this may become an incentive for the development of other areas in the production of oil, for example, from rapeseed raw materials. This can help diversify the industry and strengthen Kazakhstan’s position in the global oil market.

Thus, the cessation of oil production from domestic sunflower in Kazakhstan is a serious problem, but it can also become an incentive for the development of other areas in the oil industry.