Miller Magazine Issue: 154 October 2022

40 MILLER / OCTOBER 2022 NEWS Kazakhstan announced the end of wheat and wheat flour export restrictions that had been in effect since April 14, 2022. Since the restrictions went into effect, Kazakhstani exporters utilized 83 percent of the wheat and 66 percent of the wheat flour export quotas. Initial reports of a good fall grain harvest helped the gov- ernment decide to end the export restrictions. According to official Ministry press releases, as of September 13, almost 70 percent of Kazakhstan’s grain crops have been harvested with yields so far estimated to be at least 30 percent higher than last year. “This year we expect a wheat harvest of over 13 million tonnes, which would be a 12% increase compared with the previous year. We need about 6.5 million tonnes to meet the domestic demand. After some discussion a deci- sion was made to lift the restrictions on grain and flour ex- ports from September 10, 2022,” the press release said. Kazakhstan has exported nearly 3.3 million tons of wheat and meslin cereal worth $1 billion between January and July this year. It remains Central Asia’s largest grain producer, ca- pable of exporting approximately half of all the grain it produc- es each year. Wheat is the country’s largest crop by acreage, accounting for 80% of grain production, but it also produces barley, cotton, sunflower seeds, and rice. The country is also the region’s largest flour exporter by volume, shipping mostly to other Central Asian countries and Afghanistan. Brazilian wheat production should total 10.935 million tonnes in 2022 as four states are likely to increase output in what will be a record season for local farmers, according to agribusiness consultancy Safras & Mercado. The new estimate represents an increase from the 10.5 million tonnes previously expected. The adjustment takes into account the likely rise in output in the states of Parana, Sao Paulo, Goias, Bahia and in the Federal District. The new forecast underscores that Brazil is on track to produce all of the wheat it needs in the space of 10 years or less, as the government has predicted. The country remains a net im- porter and buys most of its wheat from neighboring Argentina, but that may soon change. If projections are confirmed, Brazil’s wheat production this year will be 41.2% higher than the 7.745 million tonnes in 2021, which was already a record, Safras said. Thanks to the development of new wheat varieties, Brazilian farmers are able to cultivate wheat plants adapted to tropical conditions. This has boosted the country’s production potential as cultivation moves to hotter and drier farms in the center of the country, in the Cerrado biome, where growers traditionally plant corn and soybeans. Safras said Parana will be the second largest producing state this season, with 4.2 million tonnes, behind top producer Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state, where farmers are expected to reap 5.1 million tonnes this season. Kazakhstan lifts restrictions on grain and flour exports Brazil expects record wheat harvest