Kazakhstan Increases Oilseed Production to a Record 5 Million Tons

At the Fifth Anniversary International Conference “FOC 2026: Fats and Oils Conference” held in Astana, Vice Minister of Agriculture Yermek Kenzhekhanuly presented the results of crop diversification efforts and outlined government support measures for Kazakhstan’s fats and oils industry.

Speaking at the conference, the Vice Minister noted that, in line with the instructions of the Head of State, Kazakhstan is implementing measures aimed at increasing the production of highly profitable and in-demand agricultural crops. As a result, the share of oilseeds in the country’s total cropping structure increased from 11% in 2023 to 17% this year, reaching 4.2 million hectares.

A significant contribution to this growth came from the expansion of rapeseed cultivation. Over the past three years, rapeseed acreage has increased more than threefold, from 97.9 thousand hectares to 337.4 thousand hectares. Flax cultivation expanded from 909.1 thousand hectares to 1.3 million hectares, while sunflower acreage increased by 600 thousand hectares during the same period.

According to Yermek Kenzhekhanuly, diversification efforts have increased total oilseed production by 2.2 times, reaching a record 5 million tons. Sunflower production reached 2.5 million tons for the first time, doubling the 2023 level. Flax production increased 3.7 times, from 362 thousand tons to 1.4 million tons, while rapeseed production grew more than fivefold, from 123 thousand tons to 630 thousand tons.

The Vice Minister emphasized that the rapid increase in raw material production requires accelerated development of storage and logistics infrastructure. To address this challenge, the Agrarian Credit Corporation is implementing a preferential financing program for the construction and modernization of grain elevators at an annual interest rate of 6%.

One of the key conditions for obtaining financing will be the introduction of an electronic system for recording, receiving, and shipping raw materials. According to the ministry, this will ensure transparency of operations and increase the level of digitalization in the agro-industrial sector.

“This measure is aimed at ensuring transparency in grain and oilseed operations, improving the efficiency of storage infrastructure management, and aligns with the state policy of agricultural sector digitalization,” the Vice Minister stressed.

Particular attention was also given to the implementation of the Comprehensive Agro-Economy Development Plan for 2026–2028. The document provides for increasing the share of processed agricultural products to at least 70%.

To achieve this goal, Kazakhstan plans to gradually increase preferential lending for agricultural producers and processing enterprises to 1.5 trillion tenge, expand agricultural machinery leasing programs, and introduce the E-Agro digital platform incorporating artificial intelligence technologies.

The international conference “FOC 2026: Fats and Oils Conference” was organized by the National Association of Oilseed Processors with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan, and QazTrade. The event brought together more than 330 delegates from 18 countries, including China, the United States, Europe, and Central Asia, as well as executives from 50 domestic oilseed processing enterprises.