Kazakhstan plans partial ban on wheat importsKazakhstan is considering a partial ban on wheat imports, grain market participants reported.Evgeny Gan, head of Kazakhstan's Grain Processors Union, said on social media that a decision to impose a full ban on wheat imports by rail and road was made at a meeting of an interagency commission last week.According to Gan, the commission initially considered a full ban with no exceptions, but market participants pushed back and won concessions."The Grain Processors Union persuaded the interagency commission to allow wheat imports exclusively by rail and only according to union-submitted lists, following the 2024 model. Elevators and poultry farms will also be covered by the exception and will import wheat under the same system," Gan wrote.In a comment to Interfax-Kazakhstan, Gan said that the commission's protocol on the decision "does not exist yet — we are waiting."Kazakhstan's Grain Union neither confirmed nor denied the information."I have not seen the protocol, and we were not invited to the commission meeting," said Evgeny Karabanov, head of analytics at the Grain Union.Commenting on the possible restrictions, he added that imports would likely follow lists approved by the Agriculture Ministry, as was done in 2024.In August 2024, Kazakhstan imposed a temporary ban on wheat imports by all modes of transport that remained in effect through the end of the year. Exceptions were allowed for rail deliveries to processing enterprises and certain industries under permit lists.Russia is the main supplier of wheat to Kazakhstan. According to the Grain Union, imports of Russian wheat into Kazakhstan from September 2025 to April 2026 totaled 1.537 million tonnes. Imports in April amounted to 280,000 tonnes, nearly 38% lower than in March. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX