Kazakhstan has sharply increased potato imports in the first five months of 2025. According to the Bureau of National Statistics (BNS), the country purchased 145.3 thousand tonnes of potatoes between January and May, 8 times more than during the same period in 2024 and 2.5 times more than in the whole of last year.
Foreign suppliers earned $38.5 million from potato sales to Kazakhstan, a value increase of 11.6 times year-on-year. Analysts at Energyprom attribute this surge to an unbalanced trade policy: in 2024, Kazakhstan exported 564,000 tonnes of potatoes, 37% more than the previous year, setting a 10-year record. Following such large-scale exports, domestic shortages became inevitable.
In January 2025, the government imposed export restrictions on potatoes until the end of June. The import value growth was driven not only by higher volumes but also by a 47% increase in the per-tonne price of imported potatoes.
These factors have significantly affected domestic prices. In December 2024, the consumer price index (CPI) for potatoes was the highest among vegetables at 137.7%, continuing to rise monthly until April. By spring, the annual price growth reached 79%, easing slightly to 54.9% in June.
Source: agrosektor.kz
