According to statistics from the Ministry of Trade of Kazakhstan, the country's oil and fat production and exports reached an all-time high in 2025: output exceeded 1.57 million tons, and export foreign exchange earnings reached US$963 million, a fourfold increase compared to 2021. According to APK News, the government stated that these figures represent a breakthrough for the oil and fat industry.

Significant Rise in Industry Status

The Ministry of Trade reported: "The oil and fat industry has become one of the main drivers of Kazakhstan's economic growth and non-resource exports. By the end of 2025, the industry accounted for 27% of the country's foreign exchange earnings from processed agricultural exports."

In 2025, sunflower oil output increased by 2.3 times compared to 2021, exceeding 752,000 tons. Over the past four years (2022-2025), the share of sunflower oil imports fell by an average of half and currently does not exceed 18% of total output. For comparison, from 2015 to 2021, the average share of sunflower oil imports was 39%. The Ministry noted that the industry's growth is stimulating the diversification of cultivation areas and the further development of processing technologies.

"Strong demand from oil mills and high profitability from oilseed production are driving the expansion of planted areas across the country. At the same time, enterprise capacities are continuously increasing, and processing projects are being implemented. This helps strengthen food security, stabilize domestic market prices, develop related industries—poultry farming, livestock breeding, feed processing, and food processing—and consolidate Kazakhstan's position in global markets as a reliable supplier of high-quality processed products," the Ministry of Trade stated.

Significant Success in Domestic Price Stability

Thanks to increased oil production and the export of surplus products at higher international prices, the oil and fat industry has maintained stable wholesale prices for domestic sunflower oil for more than three consecutive years. This measure has been crucial for curbing inflation and reducing the import share.

According to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), from May 2023 to December 31, 2025, the global vegetable oil price index rose by 39%, while sunflower oil prices on the European exchange increased by 47%. During the same period, under a memorandum signed by the National Association of Oil and Fat Processing and Mineral Sciences (NAPMC), the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the wholesale price of sunflower oil in the domestic market of Kazakhstan did not exceed 730 tenge per liter.

In February 2026, NAPMC signed a new memorandum on sunflower oil price stabilization, valid until the end of 2026.

Export Market Pattern and Global Ranking

Kazakhstan's oil and fat products are sold to more than 20 countries worldwide. Major importing countries include: China, Central Asian nations, EU member states (Latvia, Estonia, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden), as well as Norway, Afghanistan, and Iran.

As of 2025:

• Kazakhstan ranked sixth globally in sunflower oil exports;
• It ranked second in the Chinese market;
• Over the past two years, it has become the main vegetable oil supplier to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, with a market share exceeding 90%;
• It fully supplies sunflower meal to the Central Asian region;
• It is one of the three largest suppliers of sunflower meal to the EU.

Future Development Plan

To fully realize its export potential, NAPMC has developed the "Roadmap for the Export of Oil and Fat Products for 2026-2028." This roadmap draws on processes, methodologies, and technical assistance provided by the International Trade Centre, with organizational support from QazTrade, as part of the EU-funded project "Ready4Trade Central Asia: Path to Prosperity through the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor."

If the target indicators of the roadmap are achieved, by 2028:

• Foreign exchange earnings are expected to grow by 60%, exceeding US$1.5 billion;
• Kazakhstan will firmly rank among the world's top four sunflower oil suppliers;
• The main goal is to enter the top three.

New Breakthroughs in Logistics and Transportation

As part of this initiative, Kazakhstan is actively expanding sales markets and improving logistics:

• In 2026, the port of Aktau completed its first transshipment of vegetable oil.
• With the support of JSC NC KTZ (Kazakhstan Railways), a pilot shipment of sunflower meal was sent to China by grain hopper wagons through the Dostyk–Alashankou border crossing.
• In autumn 2025, for the first time in the country's history, sunflower oil was transported from the East Kazakhstan Region to Jiangsu Province, China, using 40-foot flexitank containers. This shipment traveled 4,700 kilometers in 12 days, fully demonstrating the efficiency and convenience of container transport.

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