Kazakhstan to ban sugar exports until autumn, intends to increase imports from Russia

ASTANA. May 6 (Interfax) - Kazakhstan is introducing a ban on the export of sugar to third countries, including partner states in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), until August 31, 2024 to meet domestic demand, the government press service said.

This measure will not affect international transit, it said.

In the near future Kazakhstan plans to hold negotiations to increase the quota for the supply of Russian sugar by another 100,000 tonnes by the end of the year.

Currently the balance of sugar reserves in warehouses and import volumes into Kazakhstan is about 256,000 tonnes, which is half of the country's annual need (500,000-550,000 tonnes).

"The reserves of sugar and raw cane in warehouses today amount to 136,000 tonnes. Together with the quota for the import of Russian sugar in the amount of 120,000 tonnes until August 31, 2024, it makes up 256,000 tonnes.

In addition, Kazakhstan has a quota for duty-free import 300,000 tonnes of raw cane for processing by the end of 2024," Deputy Agriculture Minister Erbol Taszhurekov said at a meeting of an interdepartmental commission.

He said average monthly sugar consumption in Kazakhstan is 46,000 tonnes; while in summer it rises to 60,000 tonnes.

"The available sugar reserves are more than enough to meet the demand for sugar before the new harvest," an Agriculture Ministry spokesperson said.

As reported, this year Kazakhstan intends to double the area under sugar beet by 13,300 hectares to 26,300 hectares.

In the spring and summer of 2022, demand for sugar spiked in Kazakhstan due to a shortage of this product. One of the reasons was Russia's ban on the export of sugar, on the import of which the Kazakh market depends. Another reason is underdeveloped domestic production.