Kazakhstan sees high potential in developing grain and oilseed exports to Iran. The latter, in turn, is interested in increasing grain purchases, primarily wheat and barley, the APK News agency reports.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Minister of Agriculture Aidarbek Saparov held a meeting with the Minister of Agricultural Jihad of the Islamic Republic of Iran Gholamreza Nouri Ghezelje, who arrived in Astana as part of the Iranian delegation.
Particular attention at the meeting was paid to the issues of grain exports. Since September 2024, Kazakhstan has already supplied Iran with 960 thousand tons of new crop grain, which is 17 times higher than the same period of the previous season. The plans include increasing the volume of wheat exports to 2 million tons and barley to 1 million tons per year.
“We see high potential in developing grain and oilseed exports to Iran. Kazakhstan is capable of annually supplying up to 500 thousand tons of sunflower oil and meal. Along with this, the development of investment partnerships, especially in the field of deep processing of agricultural products, remains a promising area,” Aidarbek Saparov noted.
The parties also discussed issues of increasing mutual trade. According to the results of 2024, trade turnover in the agricultural sector between the two countries amounted to $220.1 million, an increase of 33.2% compared to 2023. In the first four months of 2025, this figure increased by 139% and reached $151.1 million, while the export of Kazakh products tripled, amounting to $116.7 million. The bulk of supplies are barley, oilseeds, meat, vegetable oil, corn and legumes.
The Minister of Agricultural Jihad of Iran expressed readiness to expand cooperation, including technological cooperation.
“Iran is interested in increasing grain purchases, primarily wheat and barley. We are ready to conclude long-term contracts with Kazakh suppliers, as well as share experience and technologies - from irrigation engineering systems to veterinary solutions and genetics of breeding cattle. Iranian companies are successfully operating in Kazakhstan, and we see great potential for expanding investment participation," Gholamreza Nouri Gozelje emphasized.
Aidarbek Saparov confirmed the intention to continue cooperation within the framework of the bilateral Working Group on Agriculture, the first meeting of which was held in February this year in Tehran.
"I am confident that today's meeting will give a new impetus to the development of the Kazakh-Iranian partnership, and the agro-industrial complex will become one of the key pillars in achieving the goal of increasing mutual trade to $3 billion," the minister concluded.
A significant outcome of the negotiations was the signing of two memorandums of cooperation.
The Grain Union of Kazakhstan and the Iranian Feed Industry Association agreed to develop trade in grain, feed and additives, as well as the use of Iranian port infrastructure for product logistics. A memorandum was also signed between Temirtau Trade LLP and the Iranian Feed Industry Association in the field of agricultural product supplies.