Kazakhstan’s legume exports rise 38% as lentil shipments lead growth
Kazakhstan exported about 536,000 tonnes of lentils, peas and chickpeas in the first 10 months of the 2025/26 marketing year, nearly 38% more year on year. Lentil and chickpea shipments to Uzbekistan increased sharply, while pea exports to the neighboring market declined.
Exports reach 536,000 tonnes
Kazakhstan is expanding its role in the regional and international legume trade, with exports of its three principal crops—lentils, peas and chickpeas—reaching about 536,000 tonnes during the first 10 months of the 2025/26 marketing year. APK-Inform, citing official statistics, reported that the combined volume was nearly 38% above the 389,000 tonnes shipped in the corresponding period of the previous season.
The increase indicates that Kazakhstan has added roughly 147,000 tonnes to its export volume year on year. The available figures do not provide production, price or revenue data, but the rise in physical shipments points to stronger foreign-market absorption of Kazakh legumes. Afghanistan, Turkey, China and Uzbekistan ranked among the four largest importers, giving exporters a mix of nearby Central Asian markets and larger destinations beyond the region.
Lentils account for most of the expansion
Lentils were the main driver. Kazakh lentil exports rose 44% to 410,000 tonnes, representing more than three quarters of the combined shipments of the three crops. That scale makes lentils the central product behind the country’s year-on-year export growth and leaves producers, processors and traders particularly exposed to demand conditions in Kazakhstan’s principal destination markets.
Pea exports also increased, although at a slower rate. Shipments reached 101,500 tonnes, up 19% from the comparable period of the previous marketing year. Based on the reported combined total, lentils and peas accounted for the overwhelming majority of exports, while chickpeas formed the smaller remaining component. No aggregate chickpea volume was stated in the source material.
Uzbek demand shifts between crops
Trade with Uzbekistan showed sharply different trends by product. Kazakh lentil exports to the neighboring country increased by more than 7.5 times to 5,100 tonnes during the first 10 months of the season. Chickpea shipments rose 50% to 4,900 tonnes. The two increases suggest that Uzbek buyers are widening procurement of these crops, although Uzbekistan still absorbs only a limited share of Kazakhstan’s total lentil exports.
Peas moved in the opposite direction. Kazakhstan’s pea exports to Uzbekistan fell 34% to 14,500 tonnes. Even after that decline, Uzbekistan remained the third-largest buyer of Kazakh peas, behind Afghanistan and China. Peas therefore remained Kazakhstan’s largest legume flow to Uzbekistan among the three reported products, exceeding the combined 10,000 tonnes of lentils and chickpeas delivered to the market.
For the regional trade, the figures show deeper links without a uniform increase across every crop. Kazakhstan’s overall export growth is being led by lentils, while Uzbekistan’s purchasing pattern is shifting toward lentils and chickpeas and away from peas. Exporters and processors will need to distinguish between the strong national trend and the crop-specific changes within individual destination markets.
