Astana. Kuvituskuva:
The value of goods exports from Finland to Kazakhstan increased in 2023 - Over half of the exports were machinery and transport equipment
Goods exports to Kazakhstan reached a new level two years ago.
According to statistics from Finnish Customs, the value of goods exports from Finland to Kazakhstan increased by 11.1 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year, amounting to 274.5 million euros.
The value of exports to Kazakhstan has risen to its highest levels since the financial crisis of 2008 during 2022 and 2023. Throughout the 2010s, the value of exports declined, but the changes in international trade caused by Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine immediately impacted the trade statistics with Kazakhstan. However, on a monthly basis, the value of exports decreased during 2023 and by the end of the year the monthly figures were 44-47 percent of the previous year’s value.
Finland’s total goods exports decreased by 6.7 percent in 2023, amounting to 76.2 billion euros. Kazakhstan’s share of Finland’s exports was 0.4 percent.
The value of goods imports from Kazakhstan to Finland decreased by 95.4 percent, totaling 8.5 million euros. The collapse in import value was due to the temporary import of oil products from Kazakhstan in 2022. In 2023, the value of imports returned to the levels of previous years.
More than half of exports were machinery and transport equipment
Over half of the goods export value, 160.6 million euros, consisted of machinery and transport equipment. Machinery exports grew by 26.3 percent. Of the machinery exports, 56.5 million euros were special machinery for various fields, including 29.8 million euros worth of civil engineering equipment, which saw a 93.2 percent increase from the previous year.
Road vehicles worth 35.0 million euros were exported to Kazakhstan, a 133.6 percent increase from the previous year. Of this, 14.4 million euros were from 151 semi-trailer trucks. The increased export of semi-trailer trucks raised suspicions last year about circumvention of sanctions.
The export of electrical machinery decreased by 16.9 percent, amounting to 21.4 million euros. Exports included medical and X-ray equipment as well as household equipment. The export of general industrial machinery decreased by 0.8 percent, valued at 20.2 million euros. This category includes pumps, valves, heating and cooling machinery, and lifting and loading equipment.
Chemicals worth 34.7 million euros were exported to Kazakhstan, a 7.2 percent decrease from the previous year. However, there was an increase in the export of pharmaceuticals, which amounted to 9.8 million euros, and tanning and colouring material, which totaled 8.4 million euros. The export of primary plastics and inorganic chemicals decreased.
Basic manufactures were exported for 34.4 million euros, a 4.2 percent increase from the previous year. This category includes the traditional export product of Finland, paper and paperboard, whose export value decreased by 25.0 percent to 8.9 million euros. The volume of paper exports decreased by one-third, totaling 7,460 tons.
The export of metal manufactures, such as tools and fasteners, increased by 7.9 percent, amounting to 10.8 million euros. The export of rubber manufactures grew by 15.2 percent, valued at 5.5 million euros. Other exports to Kazakhstan included lead, flat-rolled steel products, and mineral manufactures.
Over one-third of imports were ferroalloys
Of the 8.5 million euros worth of imports from Kazakhstan to Finland, 3.5 million were ferroalloys. The value of ferroalloy imports decreased by 64.7 percent, and the volume decreased by 17.8 percent from the previous year, with 1.8 tons imported. Ferroalloys have been imported from Kazakhstan to Finland since 2007.
The value of food imports doubled, reaching 1.3 million euros. The food imports consisted almost entirely of feeding for animals.