Kazakhstan’s sunflowerseed production in 2024/25 is expected to almost double compared to the previous year, according to a report by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) citing official data.
Sunflowerseed planted area, production and yield are all forecast at record levels for 2024/25, according to annual agricultural statistics published by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of the Republic of Kazakhstan on 30 January.
At 1.8M tonnes, sunflowerseed production in the country was forecast to be 75% up on the five-year average, the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)’s February World Agricultural Production report said.
Yields were estimated at 1.46 tonnes/ha, a rise of 33% compared to the previous year and 32% up on the five-year average.
Total harvested area was estimated at 1.3M ha, an increase of 11% compared to the previous year and 33% up on the five-year average.
“The bumper crop is a result of the significant increase in planted area this season combined with substantially higher-than-normal yields,” the USDA said.
“Overall, favourable seasonal weather and an abundance of soil moisture reserves provided optimal growing conditions across all oilseed growing regions.”
In addition, the overall growth in Kazakhstan’s sunflowerseed production in the last decade was driven by more efficient use of modern technologies, access to improved seed varieties, favourable domestic prices and better market opportunities for the crop, according to FAS and open-source articles.
However, a FAS Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report published in May 2023 cited industry sources as saying production increases in Kazakhstan could be held back by inaccurate market statistics, inconsistent government policies and challenging transportation logistics.
