The Caspian Sea is Becoming a New Export Corridor for Kazakhstan’s Vegetable Oil
For the first time, a batch of rapeseed oil has been successfully exported from the Port of Aktau, marking a historic event and an important step toward strengthening the position of Kazakhstan’s oil and fat products in foreign markets.
According to the National Association of Oilseed Processors (NAOP), the first vessel carrying 5,000 tons was dispatched on April 4. Full loading of the vessel took approximately 2.5 days. The buyer of the rapeseed oil was the major Iranian company Kourosh Food Industry, while the exporter was one of Kazakhstan’s leading oil processing plants, which is a member of the NAOP.
Yesterday, loading of the second vessel carrying 5,000 tons of sunflower oil was completed, confirming the strong interest of importers in Kazakhstan’s oil and fat products and the promising potential of the new Caspian export route.
Yadykar Ibragimov, Chairman of the Board of the NAOP, noted that the Iranian market has significant potential for exports of Kazakhstan’s oil and fat products. According to him, Iran annually imports around 3.5 million tons of vegetable oils and meal/cake products, of which 1.5 million tons account directly for vegetable oils.
“Our countries share a border across the Caspian Sea and also benefit from a preferential customs regime within the framework of the free trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and Iran. Over the past three years, Kazakhstan’s oil processing plants have exported more than 100,000 tons of oil and fat products to Iran, 94% of which consisted of meal products. The launch of vegetable oil transshipment through the Port of Aktau will significantly increase supply volumes,” he emphasized.
According to NAOP estimates, it is potentially possible to ship 3–4 vessels per month through the Port of Aktau, equivalent to 150,000–200,000 tons of vegetable oil annually. In the future, exports of vegetable oils and meal products to Iran could exceed 500,000 tons per year.
The NAOP notes that the development of the processing industry is opening up new opportunities for expanding export channels. While this route was previously virtually unused, today, thanks to increased production and improved logistics, Kazakhstan is gaining access to new markets and strengthening its position in international trade.
The launch of the new supply channel will help diversify export markets, reduce pressure on major logistics routes, and move closer to the goal of increasing the industry’s foreign currency revenues to more than USD 1 billion, as outlined in the 2026–2028 Roadmap.
This event will become an important element of the further strategy for developing exports of Kazakhstan’s oil and fat products. Prospects for expanding export routes, global market trends, and key areas for industry development will be discussed during the fifth international oil and fat conference FOC 2026, which will take place in Astana on June 5.
For more detailed information about the conference, please contact via email at nopaconference@gmail.com or via WhatsApp at +7 777 471 2175.