ASTANA, KAZAKHSTAN — As exports surge, Kazakhstan has ramped up shipments of grain by rail through Russia, the Times of Central Asia reported, citing Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the country’s national railway operator.
Container traffic along the North-South transport corridor, which included coal, rose by 63% in the first quarter of 2025, surpassing 1,000 20-foot equivalent units (TEU).
The North-South corridor links Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran, with an annual cargo capacity of 10 million tonnes. Its eastern route, which passes through Kazakhstan, is emerging as a significant route for regional trade.
A larger-than-average wheat crop in Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s largest grain producer and only significant exporter, has led to a surge in shipments in marketing year 2024-25, according to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture.
Wheat production is estimated at 16.5 million tonnes, a 26% increase over 2023-24 thanks to a 43% increase in wheat yields, the FAS said. The increased output and strong demand from China led to the highest wheat and wheat flour export total in 13 years at 10 million tonnes.
Barley production in 2024-25 is estimated at 3.25 million tonnes, an increase from 2.6 million tonnes last season.
Between September 2024 and April 2025, Kazakhstan exported over 650,000 tonnes of grain through Russian and Baltic Sea ports, KTZ noted. Meanwhile, containerized freight between China and Russia via Kazakhstan increased by 30% year on year during the first quarter of 2025, exceeding 132,000 TEU.
Source: World Grain