Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Trade and Integration said a 1 October business forum in Herat brought together companies from Kazakhstan and Afghanistan to discuss grain and vegetable-oil supplies. The Kazakh delegation was led by Vice Minister Asiet Nussupov, and about 12 Kazakh companies took part with an interest in entering or expanding in the Afghan market. Talks focused on increasing bilateral product flows and considering new commercial projects. The ministry described two distinct stages of business results; it did not characterize the full USD 21 million as signed contracts.

For wheat, Kazakh companies WAYSTAR and Kim Rail International signed two supply contracts with Afghan company OSMAN KHALID worth USD 11 million in total. For sunflower oil, price terms were finalized for a supply valued at about USD 10 million, with the National Association of Oilseed Processors of Kazakhstan involved. The ministry described the second item as finalized pricing terms; the source does not report a signed oil-supply contract for that amount. That distinction matters because the USD 21 million headline total combines commercial outcomes at different stages for the two product groups.

The forum included business negotiations and company-to-company meetings. The delegation also toured the industrial zone in Herat Province and was shown facilities for marble extraction and processing, metal products, pharmaceuticals and non-alcoholic beverages. Separately, an opening ceremony was held for the third section of the Khaf–Herat railway. Kazakhstan’s Integra Construction KZ LLP participated in building the line. The railway ceremony was a separate infrastructure development alongside the trade discussions. The ministry release did not give a capacity or tariff for the new section, or a contract value for the Kazakh company’s work.

Trade data cited by the ministry put Kazakhstan–Afghanistan bilateral trade at USD 581.1 million in January–July 2026. That exceeded the USD 541.6 million recorded for all of 2025. Kazakhstan’s main exports to Afghanistan include flour, wheat, sunflower oil, metal products and mineral fertilizers. Trade missions, business forums and B2B meetings are among the channels used to establish direct company contacts. Kazakhstan’s trade houses in Kabul and Herat also support product promotion and business links. The supply discussions announced in Herat took place within this existing trade relationship, while the release gave no forecast of how much the new arrangements would add to future turnover.