Kazakhstan more than doubles rapeseed exports as flows to Russia and China surge

Eleven-month exports reach a record

Kazakhstan exported 265,800 tonnes of rapeseed from September through July of the 2025/26 marketing year, 2.2 times the volume recorded in the corresponding period of the previous season. Eldala.kz reported the figures, citing Yevgeny Karabanov, head of the analytics committee at the Grain Union of Kazakhstan. Karabanov described the current season as the strongest export performance in the country’s history.

The Grain Union forecasts that Kazakhstan’s rapeseed exports will reach 300,000 tonnes by the end of the marketing year. The September-July total already represents 88.6% of that projection, leaving 34,200 tonnes to be shipped during the remainder of the season.

Russia and China drive the expansion

Russia became the largest buyer, receiving 66,100 tonnes, or 2.04 times as much as during the first 11 months of the previous marketing year. It accounted for 25% of Kazakhstan’s total rapeseed exports. China purchased 42,900 tonnes, a 7.94-fold increase, making it another major source of additional demand.

Shipments to Latvia reached 41,600 tonnes, an increase of 3.7%. Uzbekistan imported 25,500 tonnes, or 28.3 times the year-earlier volume. Together, Russia, China, Latvia and Uzbekistan bought 176,100 tonnes, equivalent to about two-thirds of Kazakhstan’s reported rapeseed exports during the period.

Not every destination followed the upward trend. Exports to Estonia fell by 26% to 5,700 tonnes, while deliveries to Poland declined by 8.4% to 19,700 tonnes. France purchased no Kazakh rapeseed after taking 5,000 tonnes in the previous marketing year, and Germany’s shipments dropped to zero from 3,600 tonnes.

Monthly slowdown contrasts with seasonal growth

Data from Kazakhstan’s State Revenue Committee showed July rapeseed exports of 5,500 tonnes, excluding trade with Eurasian Economic Union countries. That was 3.6 times lower than in June. Because the monthly figure excludes EAEU destinations, including Russia, it cannot be compared directly with the full seasonal total. It nevertheless points to slower non-EAEU shipments late in the reporting period.

The expansion in rapeseed is part of a broader rise in Kazakhstan’s oilseed trade. Flaxseed exports reached a record 1.223 million tonnes in the first 11 months of the season, 2.42 times the year-earlier level. July shipments, excluding EAEU countries, were 62,900 tonnes, down 24.7% from June. Karabanov said Kazakhstan was the leading flaxseed supplier to the European Union and the second-largest supplier to China. The Grain Union expects full-season flaxseed exports of 1.28 million tonnes. For oilseed processors and traders, the figures show Kazakhstan increasing volumes across several routes even as monthly shipments and demand in individual European markets remain uneven.