Russian Agriculture Officials Press Kazakhstan Over Grain Export Violations

Kazakhstan and Russia have held high-level talks over grain export compliance, Orda.kz reports.

The discussion was held via video conference between Saken Kanybekov, Chairman of Kazakhstan's State Inspection Committee under the Ministry of Agriculture, and Anton Karmazin, Deputy Head of Rosselkhoznadzor.

Russia raised alarms about Kazakhstan's apparent disregard for temporary restrictions on wheat, flaxseed, and lentil shipments into Russian territory, including shipments destined for third countries through indirect transshipment.

These measures had been put in place on October 17, 2024.

We have identified cases of import of grain products of Kazakh origin: five thousand tons of wheat each to Rostov Sea Multimodal Port LLC and Temryuk Sea Trade Port JSC, whose infrastructure does not provide for direct transshipment of grain, The Russian Agriculture oversight body claimed.

The situation has sparked concerns in Russia about potential pest infestations and grain contamination due to shared port facilities.

Rosselkhoznadzor has called on Kazakhstan to address these violations and ensure compliance with phytosanitary regulations.

Kazakhstan's wheat import ban, initially implemented in August 2024, expired on January 1.

The Ministry of Agriculture has announced that exports will proceed without restrictions, though they maintain the right to introduce new regulatory measures if domestic market conditions require it.

Original Author: Zarina Fayzulina