Grain transportation by rail in Kazakhstan
During the five months of this year, the railway transported 4.9 million tons of grain, which exceeds the figures of the past year by 49% over the same period. Of this amount, 3.7 million tons of grain were exported, which is also 79% higher than last year.
According to information from the railway administration, as of the specified period, the greatest increase was observed in the transportation of flour and grinding products. Thus, 1.4 million tons of flour were shipped during the five months, which is an 18% increase over the same period of the previous year. The volume of flour exports amounted to 1 million tons (inclusive), which is 21% more than last year.
The geography of rail transportation is as follows. The most active trade is with China, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Also, the latgest number of trains go to Chengdu.
In Kazakhstan, transportation of grain by railway is one of the main ways of delivering products to markets and storage facilities. Indicators of grain transportation by railway directly affect the country’s economy and the profitability of agricultural enterprises. In 2018, the indicators of grain transportation by railway decreased by 8.2% compared to the previous year. This is due to a shortage of transport vehicles and a lack of necessary investments in the development of railway transport infrastructure. Therefore, the government of Kazakhstan is working on increasing investments in railway transport and modernizing infrastructure, which will increase the efficiency of grain transportation and improve the economic situation in the country.