Kazakhstan in 2025 sharply increased the area sown and production of oilseeds and legumes, reducing the area under wheat

In 2025, the area of grain crops harvested in Kazakhstan decreased by 5.8% compared to the previous year to 15.129 million hectares, and the harvest after processing increased by 1.5% to 24.948 million tons.

By crop, the area and yield changed as follows:

• barley – the area remained at 2.282 million hectares, and the harvest decreased by 6.4% to 3.593 million tons,
• corn - the area increased by 8.6% to 176 thousand hectares, and the yield - to 1.006 million tons,
• rice – areas increased by 3.1% to 101 thousand hectares, and harvest – by 2.5% to 526 thousand tons,
• other crops (oats, millet, buckwheat, sorghum and others) - the area decreased by 17% to 375 thousand hectares, and the harvest by 41% to 497 thousand tons.

Wheat harvest areas decreased by 6.7% to 12.195 million hectares (in particular, soft wheat - by 5.6% to 11.801 million hectares and durum wheat - by 31% to 0.394 million hectares), and the harvest increased by 4% to the second highest in history (after 2011) of 19.326 million tons (in particular, soft wheat - by 5.5% to 18.531 million tons, while the durum wheat harvest decreased by 22% to 795 thousand tons).

The area under oilseeds increased by 44% to 3.95 million hectares compared to last year, and the harvest increased by 48% to 4.948 million tons, in particular:

• sunflower – areas increased by 41% to 1.777 million hectares, yield – by 34% to a record 2.464 million tons,
• oil flax – area – by 54% to 1.347 million hectares, yield – by 78% to a record 1.352 million tons,
• rapeseed – area - by 117% to 323 thousand hectares, yield - 2.2 times to 630 thousand tons,
• soybeans – area – by 7% to 106 thousand hectares, yield – by 2.4% to 213 thousand tons,
• safflower seeds – area – by 16.5% to 368 thousand hectares, yield – by 17% to 268 thousand tons.

The area under legumes increased by 59% to 777 thousand hectares, and the harvest increased by 56% to a record 998 thousand tons, in particular:

• lentils – the area increased by 83% to 641 thousand hectares, and the yield – by 70% to 776 thousand tons,
• Peas – the area decreased by 15% to 108 thousand hectares, and the yield increased by 17% to 196 thousand tons.

Kazakhstan has increased its oilseed processing capacity to 5 million tons per year and plans to become the world's third largest sunflower producer, overtaking Argentina. In 2025, oil production increased by 17.4% compared to the previous year from 757.1 to 888.8 thousand tons, in particular sunflower oil - by 17.5% to 757.2 thousand tons. And oil exports increased by 34.6% in the first 11 months of 2025. The main buyers of oil were Uzbekistan (46% of exports), China (33.7%), Tajikistan (13.1%), Afghanistan (4.3%), Turkmenistan (1.8%).