5–6 November 2026
Kazakhstan expects more than 5 million tonnes of oilseeds (sunflower, rapeseed, flax, soy and others) in 2026 — 2.5 times more than a year earlier. The sunflower area grew by 25% to 2.2 million hectares. Kostanay region alone harvested about 1 million tonnes, but local plants process only 30% of it. Prices have fallen: farmers in the region get about 160,000 tenge (about $350) per tonne, against 180,000–190,000 tenge (about $400–420) a year ago.
Exports of processed products are rising: in January–August, foreign sales of sunflower, safflower and cottonseed oils grew by 49% to $673 million. In nine months, exports of sunflower husk pellets (fuel made from waste left after oil pressing) rose 3.56-fold to 63,200 tonnes. In 2025, about 98% of these pellets went to Poland.
An important detail: surplus raw material and low purchase prices are an opportunity for traders and for investment in processing — the country’s oil mills (plants that press oil from seeds) can handle 4.4 million tonnes of seed a year, less than this year’s harvest. The government aims for $1.5 billion of oil and fat exports by 2028 and a place among the world’s four largest sunflower oil exporters.
Sources: 24.kz, 6 November 2026; The Times of Central Asia (Kazakh Agriculture Ministry data), 6 November 2026; Kazinform, 2 November 2026; rate approx. 454 tenge per $1.