On June 5, 2026, Astana hosted the 5th Anniversary International Conference FOC 2026: Fats and Oils Conference, organized by the National Association of Oilseed Processors (NAOP) with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and JSC “QazTrade” Trade Policy Development Center.
The conference brought together more than 330 participants from 18 countries, including representatives of government agencies, international organizations, financial institutions, agricultural holdings, processing enterprises, logistics companies, and foreign importers of fats and oils products.
Over the past five years, the forum has become a respected international platform for discussing key issues related to the development of the fats and oils industry, expansion of export opportunities, logistics improvement, and strengthening international cooperation.
During the conference, Chairman of the Management Board and Chief Executive Officer of JSC “QazTrade” Trade Policy Development Center, Aymukhamed Turarbekovich Aldanzharov, highlighted the significant achievements of Kazakhstan’s fats and oils industry and its strong potential for further export growth. By the end of 2025, export revenues of the industry reached a record USD 963 million, increasing fourfold compared to 2021. Production volumes exceeded 1.57 million tonnes, while products manufactured by Kazakhstani producers are currently exported to more than 20 countries worldwide.
“Today, Kazakhstan ranks 6th globally in sunflower oil exports, 2nd among suppliers to the Chinese market, and is also the leading supplier of vegetable oils to Central Asian countries. The fats and oils industry has become one of the key drivers of the country’s non-resource exports and continues to strengthen Kazakhstan’s position in international markets,” noted Aymukhamed Turarbekovich Aldanzharov, Chairman of the Management Board and Chief Executive Officer of JSC “QazTrade”.
The fats and oils sector accounts for 27% of Kazakhstan’s export revenues from processed agricultural products. In recent years, sunflower oil production has increased by 2.3 times, exceeding 752 thousand tonnes, while the share of imports in the domestic market has decreased by more than half.
Today, the key export destinations for Kazakhstan’s fats and oils products include China, Central Asian countries, the European Union, as well as Norway, Afghanistan, and Iran. Over the past two years, Kazakhstan has become the largest supplier of vegetable oils to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, accounting for more than 90% of imports of these products in both countries.
Particular attention during the conference was paid to the implementation of the Roadmap for the Development of Exports of Fats and Oils Products for 2026–2028, developed by the National Association of Oilseed Processors with methodological and technical support from the International Trade Centre (ITC) and organizational assistance from QazTrade within the framework of the EU-funded Ready4Trade Central Asia project.
According to forecasts, implementation of the Roadmap measures will increase the industry’s export revenues by more than 60%, reaching USD 1.5 billion by 2028, thereby enabling Kazakhstan to enter the ranks of the world’s top three exporters of sunflower oil.
As part of this initiative, efforts continue to expand export markets and develop export logistics. In 2026, vegetable oil was transshipped onto a seagoing vessel at the Port of Aktau for the first time. Pilot shipments of pelleted sunflower meal to China via the Dostyk–Alashankou border crossing have also commenced. Furthermore, for the first time in Kazakhstan’s history, sunflower oil was shipped to China’s Jiangsu Province in 40-foot containers using flexitanks, demonstrating the effectiveness of new logistics solutions for domestic exporters.
FOC 2026 once again confirmed the strong potential of Kazakhstan’s fats and oils industry and its strategic role in the development of the country’s non-resource exports.