Agricultural exports from Kazakhstan to China are picking up after a multi-year lull due to bureaucratic haggling. 

The ElDala.kz outlet reported that agricultural products transported from Kazakhstan to China via rail in 2023 totaled 2.23 million tons, a marked increase from 2022’s 615,000 tons. Kazakhstan’s previous high for agro-exports to China was 1.2 million tons, set in 2019, the year before the covid pandemic hit. Exports in 2023 comprised mainly wheat, barley, soybeans, flax and sunflower seeds. 

The expansion of rail infrastructure was a contributing factor to the export increase. Despite 2023’s robust growth, Kazakhstan still occupies a small share of the Chinese agricultural import market. For example, in 2023, out of 12 million tons of wheat imported by China, only 400,000 tons came from Kazakhstan.

Although bilateral agro-trade is rising, there are still problems at the border. The main bottleneck is the slow pace of cargo processing in China, according to a ElDala.kz report. In early January, rail workers in Kazakhstan halted trains headed for the Dostyk border crossing, due to a massive backlog of unloading in China. “The reason for the situation was administrative issues on the part of the PRC [China],” the ElDala.kz report stated, adding that Kazakh government officials were engaging their Chinese counterparts in discussions to resolve “procedural formalities.”

Prospects for continued growth in 2024 appear to be strong. Chinese specialists reportedly conducted inspections in late December of Kazakh agro facilities, including slaughterhouses and other enterprises, according to the Kazakh Agriculture Ministry. The inspection’s results could pave the way for an increase in meat exports, which China previously suspended, citing the failure of suppliers to meet Chinese sanitary standards.

In what could be a breakthrough agreement, Kazakh farmers will reportedly supply livestock to a new meat packing plant scheduled to open in Alashankou in the Xinjiang Region, near the Kazakh border, according to a report distributed by the APK news agency. The arrangement has not been officially confirmed. Neither has there been any official Chinese announcement about a lifting of the Kazakh meat import ban.