Bishkek (TDI): Kyrgyzstan has dramatically increased wheat imports from Kazakhstan this year, ending a three-year stretch in which Russian grain dominated the market.
According to the National Statistics Committee, imports from Kazakhstan reached 132,000 tons in the first seven months of 2025, an eightfold jump compared with recent years, when Kazakh wheat had all but disappeared from Kyrgyz shelves.
Domestic production continues to lag behind demand. The Agriculture Ministry reported that 90 percent of the wheat harvest was completed by the end of August, yielding 550,000 tons. Yet Kyrgyzstan consumes more than 1.1 million tons of flour annually, leaving the country heavily dependent on imports.
In 2022, Russian wheat surged as the preferred option. Purchases from Kazakhstan collapsed from 82,500 tons to just 3,500, while imports from Russia approached 240,000 tons, largely due to lower costs.
Read More: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan to Increase Trade to $3B
That dynamic has since flipped. Between January and August this year, Kazakhstan supplied 72.5 percent of Kyrgyzstan’s wheat imports, worth $27.2 million at an average price of $206 per ton. Russian shipments made up the rest.
The change is driven by price shifts. Russian wheat that cost just over $160 per ton in 2023 climbed to $203 in 2024 and now trades at about $220. Kazakhstan, coming off a record harvest of 26.5 million tons last year, including 18 million tons of wheat, has been able to undercut Russian suppliers.
Read More: Kazakhstan Donates 5 Locomotives to Kyrgyzstan
Industry representatives say the ruble’s rebound from sanctions-driven lows has also raised the cost of Russian exports. “As the ruble strengthens, Russian wheat becomes less competitive,” one source from the Kyrgyz Association of Millers told TCA.
For Kyrgyzstan, the renewed reliance on Kazakh wheat highlights the limits of domestic production and the importance of diversified sourcing. With global grain markets increasingly volatile, officials in Bishkek see Kazakhstan’s return not only as an economic shift but also as a hedge for food security.
