The role of the grain market in ensuring food security of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is one of the world's leading wheat exporters and performs a strategic function in ensuring global food security. The country's grain sector shows stable growth, self-sufficiency, an increase in export revenues and employment in rural areas. However, factors such as climate risks, high regional concentration of production, infrastructure constraints and institutional barriers have a significant impact on the sustainability of this agricultural segment. The goal is to assess the contribution of the grain industry to the domestic economy, determine its effective functioning and competitiveness on the basis of statistical indicators and an integral index. Methods - econometric, study of the dynamics of production processes by time series using official data of the Bureau of National Statistics of the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2015-2024, normalization of indicators when comparing them, calculation of the integral index taking into account the position of an integrated approach, comparison and generalization for studying price trends and regional infrastructure. The methodology relies on the scientific approaches of the FAO. Results - positive growth rates of output, productivity and exports are shown. The grain self-sufficiency coefficient was 1.26, the share of exported goods – 31.2%, the Consumer Price Index - 9.92%, and the integral Balance Index - 0.87. Conclusions - a stable grain complex, but vulnerable to natural-climatic and territorial challenges. Measures are needed to diversify the territory, improve infrastructure, manage instability factors and adapt to climate change. Particular attention should be paid to the introduction of innovative technologies in grain farms in compliance with the rules of agricultural technology, as well as control over the supply of agricultural producers with fertilizers, plant protection products and new equipment. The results obtained can be used in long-term systemic planning to improve agrifood policy. This article is of an applied scientific and analytical nature and contributes to a comprehensive discussion of the problems of food self-sufficiency.