KTZ: last year's grain exports for 8 months amounted to 4.2 million tons

29-10-2024

For September-October, the actual volume of transportation of new harvest grain is expected to be at the level of 2.2 million tons, which is more than half the total volume of transportation for 8 months of this year.

At the same time, KTZ was ready to provide services for the transportation of grain in September-October in the amount of 4.3 million tons, of which 3.6 million - for export, the corresponding plans on the part of the Company were previously agreed upon. However, these plans were not fulfilled due to a number of reasons, such as the deterioration of the loading resources of elevators and grain receiving points, the unsatisfactory condition of access roads, the lack of their own locomotives at almost half of the operating elevators. Taking these circumstances into account, the loading capacity of all elevators and grain receiving points is on average 600-650 cars per day, or 1-1.2 million tons per month. For its part, the Company is ready to plan for November the transportation of over 2 million tons, of which 1.7 million tons are for export.

The restrictions in the direction of China are directly related to the capabilities of the receiving party. These are fairly lengthy procedures for unloading grain, analyzing samples, the working schedule of the PRC customs service only during the daytime, etc., due to which the maximum possible monthly volume of grain cargo exported to China is about 150 thousand tons. And this is subject to the quality of the cargo and the availability of valid licenses for the Chinese consignees. In addition, in early September, the PRC stopped accepting grain in the bonded zone of all grain cargo, after which a series of refusals to accept and return grain cargo followed. As a result, more than 360 wagons were sent for return.

Taking into account the restrictions on the acceptance of grain in containers for two trains per day at two junctions (Altynkol and Dostyk) and taking into account the temporary delays in passing customs procedures and cargo analysis, there is an accumulation of container trains on the territory of Kazakhstan. This leads to the occupancy of infrastructure and affects transportation in other directions. In this regard, in order to ensure the uninterrupted passage of passenger and freight trains and carry out construction and repair work on the highway, the Company is currently forced to regulate the loading of grain cargo in containers.

Despite temporary difficulties in the Chinese direction, it is worth noting that the grain of the new harvest has returned to the traditional markets of Central Asia: in September-October, the growth of grain supplies in this direction amounted to more than 1 million tons, or 30% compared to last year's level (in 2023, 782 thousand tons). Transportation to Iran via the port of Aktau has been resumed - more than 250 thousand tons were shipped in two months compared to 222 thousand tons in 9 months of 2023. Also, transportation to the EU countries has begun both through the ports of the Russian Federation and the Baltic States, and transportation to the new market of Turkey is gaining momentum.
 

Press service of JSC «NC«Kazakhstan Temir Zholy»