Kazakhstan to consider building grain elevator between Turkmenistan and Iran

Astana. April 24. Silkroadnews – Kazakhstan considers possibility of building a grain elevator at the border of Turkmenistan and Iran, as Nurbek Dairbekov, the managing director of SC “Prodkorporatsiya” National Company informs.
Kazakhstan is already using a number of grain elevators in the close proximity to the Caspian Sea. Those are grain elevators in Ports of Aktau, Baku, and Iranian Amirabad. It also has a few grain terminals nearby the Sea of Azov. It also utilises Port of Ventspils that has access to Baltic Sea.
Mister Dairbekov estimates that grain exports that utilise access to Azov, Black and Baltic Seas are gradually declining. At the same time, grain exports to such countries as Iran are increasing, as Iran has already become a traditional importer of Kazakh grain within the last 10 years.
“If Iran was previously buying 300-500 thousand tonnes, we are estimating Iran to import around 1.2 mln tonnes of grain this year. How can it be explained? The new railway line that connects Western Kazakhstan with Northern Iran has been launched. Turkmens offered us discounts for grain transits through their country”, he noticed.