Kazakhstan's exports of finished and processed goods rise 18%

According to analysts, processed goods such as vegetable oil, flour, animal feed, fertilizers, and tobacco products are becoming increasingly prominent in Kazakhstan's exports alongside traditional commodities such as oil, grain, and metals.

Data from Kazakhstan's Bureau of National Statistics shows that the country's total merchandise exports reached $60.4 billion in the first eight months of 2026, up 19.5% from $50.5 billion a year earlier.

Excluding agricultural raw materials, fuels, ores, and metals, analysts identified 109 categories of finished and processed goods with exports of at least $10 million each. Their combined exports reportedly increased by 18%, with 38 categories recording growth of 30% or more.

Exports across these 38 categories rose by 60.5%, from $2.1 billion to $3.3 billion, accounting for 5.5% of Kazakhstan's total exports and 12.7% of their overall growth.

Sunflower oil led the group, with exports rising 48.5% to $672.8 million, followed by animal feed, up 60.8% to $577.6 million, and wheat flour, which increased 36% to $400 million.

Among categories with exports exceeding $50 million, tobacco products recorded the fastest growth, surging 401.5% to $50.6 million. Exports of seamless steel pipes climbed 262.4% to $66.2 million, while rapeseed oil exports rose 127.7% to $90.4 million.

Four other categories, including canned vegetables, railway locomotives, styrene polymers, and cotton yarn, saw their combined exports increase from $8.4 million to $69.5 million.

China emerged as the largest market for Kazakhstan's 38 fastest-growing export categories, with shipments totaling $913.9 million, or 27.4% of the total. Central Asian countries, including Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, followed with $825.7 million, accounting for 24.8%.

Russia accounted for another 13.5%, or $449.4 million, while exports to other Eurasian Economic Union members — Belarus, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan — reached $345.3 million, representing 10.4% of the total.

Some products were heavily dependent on individual markets. China purchased 97.8% of Kazakhstan's animal feed exports, while Russia was the main destination for tires (92.5%), seamless steel pipes (75.5%), ice cream (69.9%), and cosmetics (68.9%).

Uzbekistan accounted for 43.3% of sunflower oil exports, while Kyrgyzstan purchased 49.4% of exported cigars and cigarettes.

Overall, neighboring countries remained the primary markets for Kazakhstan's finished and processed goods. Sunflower oil, animal feed, and wheat flour together accounted for 49.5% of exports across the 38 categories, while 14 categories more than doubled their export values.

Export growth across major processed goods was driven primarily by higher shipment volumes rather than rising prices.

Sunflower oil exports increased by 35.9% to 611,400 tons, while the average price per ton rose by 9.2% to $1,100. Animal feed shipments grew by 44.2% to 2.47 million tons, with prices increasing by 11.5%.

Wheat flour exports rose by 22.8% to 1.38 million tons, accompanied by a 10.8% increase in prices. Meanwhile, rapeseed oil shipments more than doubled to 85,300 tons, up 109.2% year-on-year.

Overall, shipment volumes grew faster than prices in five of the six categories analyzed. Mineral fertilizers were the only exception, with prices rising by 22%, outpacing a 13.7% increase in export volumes.

Despite the growth in exports, Kazakhstan's imports across the same 38 product categories remained significantly higher, reaching $5.8 billion compared with $3.3 billion in exports — a difference of approximately 1.8 times.

The largest gaps were recorded in consumer and industrial goods. Cosmetics imports totaled $217.8 million, compared with exports of $83.3 million, while chocolate imports reached $318.3 million against exports of $105.8 million.

Imports of industrial machinery and equipment stood at $432.1 million, nearly 12.8 times the export value of $33.8 million.

However, Kazakhstan exported more than it imported in several categories, including ice cream, with exports of $59.5 million against imports of $39.2 million, and cigars and cigarettes, with exports of $164.5 million compared with imports of $44.3 million.

EnergyProm noted that foreign trade classifications do not distinguish domestically manufactured goods from re-exports, making it impossible to determine what share of these exports was actually produced in Kazakhstan.

Earlier, it was reported that the North Kazakhstan region received its first shipment of pedigree cattle from Australia, with 305 Aberdeen Angus animals arriving via a special cargo flight.