The Figures Are Correct - Ministry of Agriculture Commented on Grain Yield Data Discrepancy

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Agriculture has addressed what appeared to be a significant discrepancy between its grain production figures and those reported by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Orda.kz reports.

The Ministry rejected suggestions of data manipulation, explaining the difference lies in what each report measured. 

The 18 million tons that Kazakhstan collected according to the USDA division are data on the wheat harvest, and the 26.7 million tons according to the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan are data on the harvest of grain and leguminous crops (barley, oats, peas, lentils, etc.), including wheat,  the Ministry stated.

The Ministry explained that combining grain and legume crops in agricultural statistics is standard practice.

They also countered concerns about potentially inflated harvest data, particularly claims about flood damage, fertilizer shortages, and agricultural equipment deficits.

Over five years, the volume of fertilizer application has increased 2.2 times from 600 thousand tons in 2020 to 1.2 million tons in 2024 (the volume of subsidies during this period has increased 1.7 times). The same is true for the rate of equipment renewal: by the end of 2024, the industry reached a 5.5% fleet renewal rate, which is 1% higher than the previous year, the Ministry reported.

Original Author: Raushan Korzhumbekova