From January to September 2025, China increased its fruit and vegetable exports to Kazakhstan by 39 per cent to US$181.7 million, while shipments from Uzbekistan declined by 12 per cent to US$128.6 million, according to The Caspian Post, citing Uzbek media.
Over the same period, Kazakhstan's total fruit and vegetable imports rose by 3.2 per cent in value terms to US$559.7 million. In volume terms, imports increased more strongly, up 10.3 per cent to 1.2 million tons.
Kazakhstan sources a broad range of fruit and vegetable products from abroad. By value, the main import categories were bananas at US$49.5 million, potatoes at US$46.3 million, tomatoes at US$42.7 million, grapes at US$34.3 million, onions at US$32.2 million, apples at US$32.1 million, citrus fruits at US$31.2 million, and peaches at US$26.6 million.
The change in supplier structure is largely linked to higher deliveries from China. Potato imports from China reached US$33.4 million, equivalent to 136,000 tons. Grape imports from China more than doubled to US$22.8 million, or 34,900 tons. China also began supplying carrots to the Kazakh market, while shipments of citrus fruits, apricots, and tomatoes increased.
In volume terms, Kazakhstan's imports from China rose 2.2 times year on year to 401,000 tons. Imports from Uzbekistan amounted to 360,000 tons over the same period. Combined, China and Uzbekistan account for nearly 55 per cent of Kazakhstan's total fruit and vegetable imports.
Longer-term figures indicate a sustained shift in trade flows. In the first nine months of 2018, Kazakhstan imported US$310.9 million worth of fruit and vegetables from Uzbekistan, compared with US$65.4 million from China. Since that period, exports from Uzbekistan to Kazakhstan have declined by a factor of 2.4, while Chinese exports have increased by 2.8 times.
The data reflect changing supply dynamics in Kazakhstan's import market, with China taking a larger share across several key product categories.
Source: The Caspian Post
