Kazakhstan’s oilseed crop in 2026 is expected to be no higher than last year’s record level despite a significant expansion in planted areas, while competition among processors for raw materials will intensify. Andrey Antonov, Executive Director for Strategic Development at the National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA), gave this forecast during the VI International Conference Asia Grains&Oils Conference in Tashkent 2026.

According to NOPA’s forecasts, the crop of major oilseeds this year may total 4.15-4.3 million tons. This includes a sunflower seed crop of 2.06-2.16 million tons.

“We expect the crop to remain at last year’s level due to the climatic conditions of the current season, although planted areas increased by 30%,” the speaker said.

The NOPA representative noted that in 2026, the area planted to oilseeds in Kazakhstan increased to an absolute record of 5.32 million hectares, compared with 4.1 million hectares in 2025.

As a result, given the lower crop and growing oilseed processing capacity in Kazakhstan, including deep processing, with refining capacity alone expected to increase this year from 481 thousand tons to 732 thousand tons, competition for raw materials will intensify in the near term.

Antonov highlighted the cultivation of high-oleic sunflower varieties as one of the notable trends in the Kazakh market.

“There is stable domestic demand for high-oleic sunflower oil (with an oleic acid content of more than 75%) from major food manufacturers, including PepsiCo and Mareven. In terms of raw materials, this translates into guaranteed annual demand of around 50,000-55,000 tons of high-oleic sunflower seeds,” the speaker stressed.