Kazakhstan aims to increase exports of oil and fat products to over $1 billion per year. To achieve this goal, the country has developed the first-ever Sectoral Roadmap for 2026–2028, which will be presented on December 11 in Astana.
The new document outlines key steps for the development of the industry, including:
– expanding deep processing,
– eliminating raw material shortages,
– introducing advanced agrotechnologies,
– modernizing logistics,
– increasing production capacity,
– promoting finished products on international markets.
The Roadmap is also aligned with the instructions of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to increase the processing share to 70%, reduce import dependency and strengthen the export potential of the agro-industrial sector.
Current state of the oil and fat industry:
• exports of vegetable oils have increased 10.8 times over the past 10 years
• in 2024, exports reached USD 505.7 million, surpassing raw material exports for the first time
• Kazakhstan entered the TOP-10 global exporters of sunflower oil and the TOP-3 suppliers of sunflower meal to the EU
• sunflower oil production grew 2.5 times in three years, and total exports of processed products exceeded 1 million tons
QazTrade CEO Aitmukhamed Aldazharov emphasized the importance of the document:
“Every ton of processed raw materials means new jobs, higher income and stronger food security. Our task is to help companies transition to producing high value-added goods and confidently enter foreign markets. The Roadmap provides practical tools to support both existing and future exporters,” he noted.
The document also focuses on expanding the raw material base. Currently, oilseed crops cover 4.1 million hectares, and this area will increase to 5 million hectares by 2027. Kazakhstan has over 80 processing plants, but their utilization rate is only 35%, demonstrating significant growth potential as raw material supply and logistics improve.
The Roadmap was developed with the participation of the Ministry of Trade and Integration, QazTrade, the National Association of Oilseed Processors, the International Trade Centre (ITC), and the European Union.