Spatial Price Transmission in Kazakh Wheat Markets

Reliable marketing opportunities in both interregional and international trade are an important precondition for further development of the agricultural sector. In this study we assess interregional integration of Kazakh wheat markets. We apply asymmetric threshold error correction models to assess the co-movement of elevator prices at three grain-trading spots in the northern and central parts of the country. Results suggest that markets of two northern grain-trading spots (Petropavlovsk and Kokshetau) are closely connected with each other while their connection with Karaganda in central Kazakhstan is much weaker. Here, levelling out price gaps through arbitrage trade only occurs after a threshold of considerable extent has been surpassed.