Kazakhstan says it has achieved a record grain harvest this year, which officials hope will help fend off rising bread prices that have troubled the Central Asian country.
Kazakhstan this year harvested 21 million tons of grain, overtaking the previous record of 20.1 million tons set in 2007, President Nursultan Nazarbayev said in a statement Friday.
The size of the harvest will likely allow Kazakhstan to stick to plans to boost wheat exports by around one-third this year.
A severe drought last year led to a disappointing 17 million ton grain harvest, prompting government action to stem rising bread prices, which increased about 12 percent.
