Kazakhstan to double wheat supplies to Afghanistan to 100,000 tonnes this year

ALMATY. Aug 3 (Interfax) - Kazakhstan's Altyn Astyk Group plans to supply 100,000 tonnes of soft wheat to Afghanistan from September 2023 to May 2024, the company's head Artur Akhmetov said.

"Today, within the framework of the Kazakh-Afghan forum, our company is planning to sign a contract for the supply of soft wheat to Afghanistan for a total of $23 million. The volume is about 100,000 tonnes from this year's crop to be delivered from September to May. We've been the wheat suppliers to Afghanistan for the past five years, but we plan to double the supplies from 50,000 tonnes we supplied previously," Akhmetov told reporters on the sidelines of the forum on Thursday.

Akhmetov said Afghanistan was the company's main trade partner that purchases wheat and flour. "We faced certain hurdles during the change of government and had to resolve the logistic and payment issues. Now we can say that it's possible working with these companies. One of our main goals is to keep our presence in the Afghan market and increase our supplies," Akhmetov said.

Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Trade and Integration Serik Zhumangarin said that Kazakhstan is aiming to increase the supply of flour to Afghanistan.

"Over the four months of this year, more than 450,000 tonnes of Kazakh flour worth $150.8 million were supplied to Afghanistan via Uzbekistan. High transportation tariffs for Kazakh grain through Uzbekistan towards Afghanistan prompt us to find other transportation options to increase our exports and meet the demand in the Afghan market," he said.

The minister said Turkmenistan could become one of the alternative supply routes for Kazakh flour products to Afghanistan. Turkmenistan "favors the development of transit transportation and could provide a preferential transit tariff," he said.

"QazTrade, an operator of non-commodity exports, could ensure a low-cost delivery of domestic goods to the Bolashak rail station. Meanwhile, we have reaffirmed our agreements with Uzbekistan on preferential terms for railway transportation through our countries to supply flour and grain to Afghanistan," Zhumangarin said.

Acting Minister of Industry and Trade of Afghanistan, Nuruddin Azizi, sought discounts on wheat and flour supplies and preferential tariffs for Afghan imports.