Kazakhstan postpones grain terminal construction in Iran

/By AzerNews/

By Aynur Karimova

Kazakhstan, one of the world's major grain exporters, has postponed the construction of the grain terminal on the Turkmen-Iranian border.

The country's Agriculture Ministry told Trend that the construction of this grain terminal in Iran can be considered after the completion of the construction of broad gauge railway from the Turkmen border to the Iranian Inche-Burun station on the Uzen-Gorgan railway.

The ministry also said that as of today, works on the organization of two narrow gauge connection points and the broad gauge railway lines in the Turkmen and Iranian sections of the Uzen-Gorgan railway are being carried out under the existing agreement on international goods transport by rail.

"An Iranian company that would be interested in this project together with Kazakh Food Corporation has not been chosen yet. Kazakhstan's Astyk Terminal Company started preparatory works for construction of the terminal on the Turkmen-Iranian border in the spring of 2014," the ministry added.

Kazakhstan is keen on strengthening the position in traditional markets for exporting grain - Azerbaijan, Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asian countries such as Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The country is also interested in increasing grain export to the promising markets, including Europe and Turkey, where there is a constant demand for high-protein and durum wheat.

The average annual production of grain in Kazakhstan in 2005-2014 amounted to 17.4 million tons, which fully meets the domestic consumption and makes it possible to export high-quality grain surplus to foreign markets.

Some 17.162 million tons of grain and leguminous crops were harvested in the country in 2014, which is 5.9 percent less than in 2013.

As of September 4, 2015, some 3.491 million metric tons of grain were gathered in Kazakhstan.

In 2015, the grain harvest in Kazakhstan is forecasted at 17.3 million tons in gross weight.