Kazakhstan showcased its expanding agricultural export portfolio at the SIAL Paris 2026 international food exhibition from Oct. 17 to 21, Qazinform News Agency reports, citing the Ministry of Agriculture. The national pavilion was presented by the National Association of Oilseed Processors of Kazakhstan (NAOPK) and its member enterprises.
It showcased sunflower, soybean, rapeseed, linseed, cottonseed, and safflower oils, as well as high-protein animal feed ingredients such as oil cake and grist. European buyers showed strong interest in fuel pellets produced from sunflower husks, a processing byproduct used as renewable fuel.
Kazakhstan currently ranks among the top 3 exporters of sunflower seed meal to the European Union. Over the past four marketing years, Kazakhstan's exports of vegetable oils, meal, and oilcake to the EU and Norway have consistently exceeded 100,000 tons. This is twice the volume recorded in previous years.
In the 2025/26 season, the exports reached 114,927 tons, according to NAOPK. Exports of sunflower husk fuel pellets from Kazakhstan to the EU grew from 1,135 metric tons in 2023 to 33,418 metric tons in 2025, valued at approximately $1.04 million. The significance of the EU market was highlighted by the visit of Kazakh Ambassador to France Gulsara Arystankulova, signaling state support for expanding oilseed exports to Europe.
Embassy officials and NAOPK representatives discussed prospects for oilseed cooperation with EU countries. Kazakhstan participates in SIAL Paris 2026 in furtherance of its 2026–2028 Oilseed Export Development Roadmap. The document was prepared by NAOPK in partnership with the International Trade Centre (ITC) and QazTrade JSC under the EU-funded Ready4Trade initiative.
Under the roadmap, Kazakhstan aims to boost annual oilseed export revenue to $1.5 billion by 2028 and become one of the top four global exporters of sunflower oil. Earlier, Qazinform reported that Kazakhstan’s sunflower oil exports surged 48.5%.