Kazakhstan imposes six-month ban on potato exports to third countries

ASTANA. Jan 20 (Interfax) - Kazakhstan has imposed a six-month ban on potato exports to non-Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries to stabilize domestic prices, the government press service said.

Potato exports surged 1.5-fold in 2024, driven by increased demand from neighboring countries, particularly Uzbekistan, and rising export prices. This demand has put pressure on the domestic market, with export-focused producers seeing a sharp price hike from 170 to 270 tenge per unit in just one week.

"In this connection, to stabilize potato prices in the domestic market, the interdepartmental trade commission has decided to impose a six-month ban on potato exports to third countries. This measure does not affect EAEU countries, but exports will be closely monitored," it said.

As part of these efforts, Kazakhstan also suspended the issuing of phytosanitary certificates for exports starting January 16. These measures aim to maintain price stability, prevent unjustified price increases and avoid speculative practices within the market, it said.

Current potato reserves are sufficient to meet domestic demand until the early harvest in 2025, the Agriculture Ministry said. As of January 19, there were over 850,000 tonnes of potatoes in storage, excluding retail chain reserves. These include 600,000 tonnes held by the Potato Growers Association, 68,000 tonnes in stabilization funds, and 200,000 tonnes in small farm storage.

Kazakhstan's total potato harvest for 2024 reached 2.9 million tonnes, including 300,000 tonnes from the early harvest. Imports for the year totaled 56,000 tonnes. Since August 2024, the country has distributed 2.6 million tonnes of potatoes to the market, against an overall demand from the population of 1.5 million tonnes, including 954,000 tonnes for urban areas, before the early harvest in January-April this year. From August to December 2024, 844,000 tonnes were consumed and 620,000 tonnes were exported. The projected potato consumption for early 2025 (January-April) is 675,000 tonnes.

The official exchange rate on January 20 is 530.12 tenge/$1.