ASTANA, Kazakhstan, February 10. Grain shipments to Iran through the ports of Aktau and Kuryk have increased 29 times, reaching 576,000 tons, Trend reports via Kazakhstan Railways.
From September 2024 through January 2025, the volume of new crop grain transport totaled 6.1 million tons, 47 percent more compared to the same period of the previous year. The majority of the transported grain is for export, which grew by 53 percent, reaching 4.8 million tons. The company also noted that the largest volumes of grain were directed to Central Asian countries - 2.7 million tons, which is 36 percent more compared to the previous year.
"Shipments to Russia are carried out without restrictions. Exports and transit to Russia amounted to more than 660,000 tons, a 94 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023. In January 2025, 1.1 million tons of grain were transported by rail, 35 percent more than in January of the previous year. Exports grew by 36 percent, reaching 839,000 tons, while domestic transportation increased by 33 percent, amounting to 217,000 tons," stated Kazakhstan Railways.
The company noted that in January 2025, there was a 23 percent increase in exports to Uzbekistan, an 18 percent increase to Tajikistan, a threefold increase to Turkmenistan, and a fourfold increase to Kyrgyzstan. Grain shipments to Iran through the ports of Aktau and Kuryk showed a 23-fold growth, reaching 121,000 tons. Transit shipments through the ports of Russia and the Baltic states remained at the same level as last year, with a volume of 100,000 tons.
"Kazakhstan Railways is ready for the increase in grain cargo transport volumes: the infrastructure, wagon, and locomotive fleet are sufficient for the declared cargo. Currently, there is a surplus of grain carriers and covered wagons," the company concluded.
Additionally, domestic transport in Kazakhstan also showed a positive trend, increasing by 28 percent to 1.3 million tons.