Kazakhstan Increased Oilseed Crop Areas by More Than 30%

Kazakhstan continues to expand the cultivation of oilseed crops, reflecting the country's ongoing strategy to diversify crop production. According to the Bureau of National Statistics, the total area planted with oilseed crops exceeded 5.179 million hectares in 2026, representing an increase of more than 30% compared with the previous year.

The largest increase was recorded for sunflower, the country's main oilseed crop. This season, sunflower acreage reached a record 2.202 million hectares, up 25% year-on-year. Compared with 2021, the planted area under sunflower has increased 2.3 times, maintaining a steady growth trend.

The greatest contribution to the expansion of sunflower acreage came from the Pavlodar, Kostanay, Akmola, and North Kazakhstan regions, which accounted for about 90% of the total increase.

In addition to sunflower, the planted areas of flax, rapeseed, safflower, and cotton also expanded in 2026.

According to the National Association of Oilseed Processors, the increase in planted areas is driven by strong demand for oilseed raw materials from domestic processors as well as expanding export markets. During the current season, Kazakhstan's oil and fat products are exported to 23 countries.

Industry representatives note that the expansion of oilseed cultivation reflects the continued diversification of Kazakhstan's agricultural sector and the growing importance of oilseed crops in the country's crop production structure.

Kazakhstan's current oilseed processing capacity exceeds 5.2 million tonnes per year, including 4.4 million tonnes dedicated to sunflower processing. In addition, major investment projects are planned for 2026–2028 to build new oilseed processing plants with a combined annual processing capacity of more than 3 million tonnes.