Kazakhstan grain exports outpace last season as KTZ lifts rail tariffs 23.5%

Kazakhstan is moving the 2026 grain crop to export markets faster than a year ago, but an acute shortage of rail wagons and a 23.5% increase in tariffs charged by national carrier KTZ are pushing up the cost of every tonne shipped, according to Yevgeny Karabanov, head of the analytics committee at the Grain Union of Kazakhstan, quoted by forbes.kz and eldala.kz.

Harvest and export flows

Deputy Agriculture Minister Nazgul Khatepova said the total sown area in 2026 stands at 24.2 million hectares, of which 15.6 million hectares are under grains and pulses. Harvesting has been completed on 11.3 million hectares, with an average yield of 14.2 centners per hectare. Karabanov said the pace of the grain and oilseed harvest is running ahead of the same period last year, and that grain is also being loaded for export more quickly.

August brought a record monthly grain transport volume of 1.157 million tonnes, a 35% increase, Khatepova said. Exports over January-August reached 7.1 million tonnes, of which 4.8 million tonnes went to Central Asian countries, up 37% year on year.

• Uzbekistan: 3.6 million tonnes, up 50%
• Tajikistan: 998,000 tonnes, up 17%
• China: 562,000 tonnes, up 34%

Barley exports have also picked up, with loadings directed to China and Central Asia, while shipments to Iran are stagnating, eldala.kz reported.

Rail tariffs rise twice

From 21 September, KTZ tariffs for use of the main rail network were raised by 23.5%. Karabanov put the impact at 2-3 dollars per tonne for export traffic heading to the Saryagash border crossing and about 1 dollar per tonne for domestic movements. A second increase has already been approved: on 2 September 2026 the Committee for the Regulation of Natural Monopolies reviewed an application from KTZ-Freight Transport and decided that from 1 December 2026 prices for locomotive traction will rise by 23.5%, with exemptions for liquefied gas and socially significant food products.

The higher logistics bill will feed into export prices for the entire range of Kazakh wheat, Karabanov said. At the same time, wagons are being held up at loading and unloading stations, creating what he described as an acute shortage of rolling stock.

Domestic and exchange prices

Domestic prices for most wheat grades were unchanged over the week of 14-20 September, the Grain Union reported. Class 4 and class 5 wheat each gained 1,000 tenge per tonne, reflecting their small share in the new crop and firm demand from poultry farms and feed flour producers. Barley added 2,000 tenge per tonne on the domestic market, supported by feed flour makers and by exporters working to China and Central Asia.

On the ETS exchange, three deals covering 4,056 tonnes of soft wheat were concluded over three trading days, down from 5,101 tonnes a week earlier. Offers were far more numerous than completed trades. Prices are quoted EXW at line elevators and include 16% VAT.

• Class 3 wheat, 23-24% gluten: 98,000-99,000 tenge per tonne
• Class 3, 25-26% gluten: 104,000-107,000 tenge
• Class 3, 27-28% gluten: 109,000-110,000 tenge
• Class 3, 29-30% gluten: 112,000-113,000 tenge
• Class 3, 31% gluten and above: 116,000-117,000 tenge
• Class 4 wheat: 90,000 tenge, offered only to poultry farms
• Class 5 wheat: 80,000 tenge
• Class 2 barley: 80,000 tenge

Export prices and Caspian freight

Export prices for class 3 wheat with 23-24% and 25-26% gluten rose by 5 dollars per tonne over the week, while the 27% gluten grade gained 4 dollars. Karabanov attributed the move to the KTZ tariff increase and the strengthening of the tenge against the US dollar. Prices for the remaining wheat grades were unchanged.

A continuing shortage of available vessels pushed freight from Aktau to northern Iranian ports up another 10 dollars per tonne over the week, to 70 dollars per tonne, while rates from Astrakhan rose by 16 dollars to 110 dollars per tonne. Karabanov called the levels unprecedented, saying such freight rates had never been recorded on these routes.