Gachman noted that from 2002 to 2015, 1.2 million tons of flour were produced annually in the Altai Territory, but now this volume has decreased to 700,000 tons. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan is actively developing its milling industry, using grain from Altai.
Kazakh processors, in particular, are benefiting from trade with China by supplying low-grade wheat feed flour there. In the last two years, the volume of such exports from Kazakhstan to China has increased from 120,000 tons in 2023 to 2.2 million tons in 2025, with an expected growth to 3 million tons in 2026.
“In the last three years, Kazakhstan has seen growth in the milling industry, which is based on the production of feed flour from Altai wheat. This means that we are effectively a raw material appendage of Kazakhstan for this product. And, unfortunately, we do not have sufficient capabilities to process feed wheat into feed flour and supply it to China,” Gachman noted ironically.
He also added that Altai millers are capable of producing feed flour independently but face problems due to the lack of necessary permits for export to China, which must be issued at the federal level by the Rosselkhoznadzor and the Ministry of Agriculture.
Gachman expressed hope for reaching agreements between Russia and China, as was the case with the export of bran, which was previously available to many countries but not to Russia.
“After years of efforts by the Union of Grain Processors of Altai, the Rosselkhoznadzor and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation have finally ensured access for Russian millers to the Chinese market for the supply of bran starting in the fall of 2025. While Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and other countries already had access to this market, Russia was left out. Currently, we cannot export feed flour to China, but work in this direction is ongoing,” the expert explained.
Among the countries to which the largest amount of agricultural products was exported from the Altai Territory are China, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia.
The head of the Union emphasized that the production of feed flour opens new opportunities for the region. Exporting raw materials has its value; however, local processing with added value is much more beneficial for the economy.
Processing grain helps avoid further declines in purchasing prices, which Altai farmers have been complaining about for several years.
“Today, grain prices are set on the world market, and we depend on processors abroad. If processing develops in our region, the added value will remain here. Of course, processors will depend on world market prices, but our farmers will be connected to local processors rather than buyers from Kazakhstan, Turkey, or Egypt, who are currently the main buyers of our wheat. Although our processors also have their drawbacks, this creates healthier relationships in the region under state control,” concluded Valery Gachman.
The record of the President of the Union of Grain Processors of Altai calling for an end to dependence on Kazakhstan first appeared in K-News.
