Export of flour in Kazakhstan in the current 2017-18 season decreased compared to the previous 2016-17 season. It decreased by 76,6 thousand tons from 934,6 thousand tons in the last season (July – November) to 858 thousand tons in the current season for the same period or by 8,2%.
But in the beginning of the season, flour exports exceeded last year’s level. It started at the level of 156.2 thousand tons in July. Last year for this month the amount of flour exported was lower by 21.3 thousand tons or 134.9 thousand tons. In August, the excess in export volumes was also in favour of this year, and it even increased to 30 thousand tons – 166.6 thousand tons this year and 136.6 thousand tons in the past season. The underrun began in September, when the amount of flour sold was almost equal. And in October and November, the lag in the export of flour began to increase.
As reported by the IA “Kazakh-Zerno”, according to the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, according to the data of “KTZ” JSC on the shipment of grain and flour, 195.5 thousand tons of flour was exported from Kazakhstan in November 2017. In October 187 thousand tons were shipped for export. On the basis of these data, last month the volumes of flour shipped from the republic compared with October increased by 8.5 thousand tons or by 4.5%. In September, 152.7 thousand tons of flour was exported.
The same situation this year is in the grain export segment too. And this is in conditions of seasonal fall in grain supply in the market. The dynamics of grain exports by months in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons is different. This season grain exports started from higher positions than a year ago, but by October, its volumes began to give way to last year’s figures. As a result, there were practically parity results by the volume of exports for five months.
Market observers agree that the decline in grain and flour exports is due to the poor organization of land traffic logistics, which resulted in an artificial shortage of cars and their unjustifiably long idle time at cargo transshipment stations. At a time when they are most in demand and this is September-December. However, the true reasons for the “congestion” in the passage of cargos have yet to be clarified. December will show what will be the results of the half-year on export of grain and flour.
