Kazakhstan raises 2025-26 flaxseed export forecast by 16%The Grain Union of Kazakhstan has increased its forecast for the country's flaxseed exports in the current 2025-26 marketing year (September-August) by 16% to 790,000 tonnes, the union's head of analytics, Yevgeny Karabanov, told Interfax.The union had previously projected exports of 680,000 tonnes in November.According to Karabanov, Kazakhstan exported 520,000 tonnes of flaxseed between September and December 2025. This volume is 150% higher than the same period in 2024 and nearly matches the total exports of the entire previous 2024-25 marketing year (524,000 tonnes).Shipments to the European Union saw significant growth. Exports to Belgium rose to 156,100 tonnes (up 130%), Poland to 37,400 tonnes (up 370%), and Germany to 8,800 tonnes (up 180%). Notably, exports to the Netherlands surged to 3,800 tonnes from just 100 tonnes a year earlier, and Estonia became a new destination, receiving 30,800 tonnes.Significant growth was also recorded for exports to Afghanistan (up 90% to 49,000 tonnes), China (up 140% to 199,800 tonnes), Pakistan (up 23%), Uzbekistan (up 33%), and Tajikistan (up 60%)."Thus, two main buyers of Kazakh flaxseed - Belgium (30% of total exports) and China (38%) - accounted for 68% of the total export volume in the first four months of the current marketing year," Karabanov emphasized.He reiterated that Kazakh flaxseed is increasingly filling the market niche in the EU previously held by Russia. With the EU's import duty on Russian flaxseed set to rise to 50% in 2026, Kazakhstan is poised to become the primary supplier to the bloc.As previously reported, Kazakhstan's oilseed harvest this year reached a record 4.8 million tonnes, including 1.4 million tonnes of flaxseed. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX