Kazakhstan is rapidly becoming a player in the pulse market, according to a market analysis firm.
Farmers in the country produced 842,000 tonnes of lentils, 222,000 tonnes of peas and 22,000 tonnes of chickpeas last year, which was a record level of pulse production, according to APK-Inform.
Kazakhstan exported 536,000 tonnes of peas, lentils and chickpeas during the first 11 months of 2025.
That is more than five times higher than what was shipped in 2021.
Lentils accounted for 425,400 tonnes of that volume, up from 235,100 tonnes a year ago.
“In 2025, Kazakhstan entered the top five largest players in the global lentil market, competing with suppliers such as Canada, Australia, the United States and Russia,” APK-Inform stated in a recent article promoting the firm’s upcoming Kazakh Grain & Logistic Forum in February.
Turkey is by far the biggest importer of Kazakh lentils, purchasing 358,300 tonnes during the first 11 months of 2025. Other buyers include the United Arab Emirates, Italy and Kyrgyzstan.
Sergey Pluzhnikov, chief executive officer of Russian Pulses Analytics, said Kazakhstan has no access to the sea. It has overcome that logistical shortcoming by shipping lentils by truck to neighbouring Turkey.
“It is very convenient for Turkish factories to receive goods with delivery right to the door,” he said in a text message.
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