Kazakhstan retains lead in vegetable oil supplies to Uzbekistan
Kazakhstan exported 553,000 tonnes of oil-and-fat products to Uzbekistan from September 2025 through May 2026, up 31% year on year. Processing capacity exceeds 5.2 million tonnes annually and is planned to reach 8 million tonnes by 2028.
Shipments rise by 31%
Kazakhstan remained Uzbekistan’s largest supplier of vegetable oils for a second consecutive year, according to Moy Gorod. From September 2025 through May 2026, Kazakhstan exported 553,000 tonnes of oil-and-fat products to its neighboring market, an increase of 130,800 tonnes, or 31%, from the corresponding period of the previous marketing year.
The result extends a five-season period of sustained growth in shipments. Kazakhstan’s share of the Uzbek vegetable oil market exceeded 90% in 2025, placing the country in a dominant position in one of Central Asia’s key food markets.
The figures indicate that the trade relationship is supported by more than a short-term change in supply. Rising deliveries over several seasons and a market share above 90% have made Uzbekistan a major established outlet for Kazakhstan’s expanding processing industry.
Export revenue approaches $1 billion
Kazakhstan’s wider oil-and-fat exports are also increasing. During the first nine months of the marketing year, the country exported vegetable oil, meal and oilcake worth $944 million. Revenue rose by $331 million, or 54%, compared with September-May 2024/2025.
Exports of those products are forecast to exceed $1.15 billion by the end of the current marketing year. The projection would keep processed oilseed products at the center of Kazakhstan’s agricultural export growth, with vegetable oil accompanied by meal and oilcake produced during crushing.
Kazakh products are currently shipped to more than 20 countries. Moy Gorod also reports that the country fully covers Central Asian demand for sunflower meal and ranks sixth worldwide among exporters of sunflower oil. The industry ultimately plans to enter the world’s three largest exporters and raise export revenue to $2 billion.
Processing expansion supports regional position
The increase in foreign sales is being supported by domestic processing development. Kazakhstan’s existing oilseed crushing capacity exceeds 5.2 million tonnes per year, including 4.4 million tonnes of sunflower processing capacity.
Total Kazakh capacity is 700,000 tonnes higher than Uzbekistan’s combined processing capacity. This advantage gives Kazakh processors room to serve their home market while maintaining large deliveries to neighboring countries, particularly Uzbekistan.
New plants and projects are expected to lift Kazakhstan’s oil-and-fat processing capacity to 8 million tonnes annually by 2028. For producers and processors, the expansion creates additional demand for oilseeds. For traders, the central question will be whether export markets can absorb the extra oil, meal and oilcake as capacity rises. Uzbekistan’s established demand and Kazakhstan’s existing regional position provide a firm base, but the planned scale-up will also require continued access to markets beyond Central Asia.
