Kazakhstan buys tens of thousands of tons of onions from Tajikistan, even though it produces 3.5 times more than necessary. Tajikistan exports up to 70,000 out of 180,000 tons of onions to Kazakhstan during the off-season. This became known at a meeting between the Minister of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Arman Shakkaliev, and the Ambassador of Tajikistan, Khairullo Ibodzoda, according to the Ministry of Trade of Kazakhstan.
At the same time, Kazakhstan produces more onions than it consumes. According to the Ministry of Trade, the annual harvest of onions is approximately 1.1 million tons, while the consumption averages 315,000 tons. At the same time, the annual export potential is more than 200,000 tons. The main exports are carried out from September to February. In 2023, onion exports were made to Russia – 40%, Uzbekistan – 31%, Pakistan – 13%, as well as Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and Georgia – 10% each.
At the beginning of last month, the Ministry of Agriculture reported 130,000 tons of unsold onions in farmers' warehouses. The department noted that it was trying to sell 23,000 tons of vegetables to Azerbaijan, Georgia, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan. There is no more recent data on unsold onions.
Source: kz.kursiv.media