Kazakhstan produced 145,000 tons of rice in January-August 2026, an 18.6% increase from 122,300 tons recorded during the same period last year.

Domestic rice sales also increased, reaching 70,500 tons in January-July, up 3.9% year on year, according to Qazinform News Agency.

The strongest growth came from exports. Kazakhstan shipped 88,800 tons of rice abroad during the first seven months of 2026, up 25.3% from 70,900 tons a year earlier. Despite the increase in export volumes, the total value of rice exports remained unchanged at $24.7 million.

Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan were the main destinations for Kazakh rice. During January-July, Kazakhstan's rice exports exceeded imports by 18 times.

At the same time, rice imports fell sharply. Kazakhstan imported 4,900 tons during the period, down 70.7% from 16,700 tons a year earlier. The value of imports also dropped from $9 million to $3.3 million.

India, Russia, Pakistan, Thailand and Uzbekistan remained the main suppliers of rice to the Kazakh market.