Why Akmola Region Farmers Are Massively Switching to Oilseeds

 

While some agriculturalists watch falling wheat prices and overflowing elevators with alarm, others are calmly shipping their harvest directly from the fields to China. In 2025, flax has become a true savior for many farmers in the Akmola region. This crop, recently overlooked, is now becoming the main driver of diversification and financial stability. We spoke with the region's farmers to find out why they are betting on oilseeds.

The 2025 season has been difficult for Kazakhstan's farmers. Prolonged rains during the harvest period hit wheat quality, and the subsequent collapse at elevators and price drops pushed many farms to the brink of survival. Against this backdrop, a trend that has been maturing for the past few years has become particularly evident: a shift away from total dependence on grain crops toward more marginal cultures. And the undisputed star of this season has been flax.

The main reason for the "flax boom" is simple, understandable economics. While the price for 4th-class wheat barely reaches 60,000-70,000 tenge per ton, farmers are selling flax for 210,000-250,000. The difference is more than threefold.

"Next year, we plan to slightly change the sowing structure: we want to add flax, but we will still keep wheat, we can't do without it," shares a farmer from the Birzhan sal district. "Flax is more profitable right now, especially if the grain price doesn't rise."

His colleague from the same district, who lost half of his wheat harvest to rain this year, echoes this sentiment:

"I will definitely expand into flax next year. It's a more marginal crop, and there is always demand. I might also try rapeseed—for diversification. But I will still keep wheat and barley; they are classics, you can't do without them."

With an average flax yield of 10-12 centners per hectare, which farms in various parts of the region (from Arshalynsky to Burabay) are achieving, the crop's profitability is significantly higher than that of wheat. Wheat yields varied greatly this year, and the quality often failed to reach the 3rd-class standard.

Furthermore, unlike wheat, which faced colossal sales problems this year, the flax market is demonstrating stability. Moreover, it opens the door for farmers to export, bypassing the chain of domestic intermediaries and overcrowded elevators.

The experience of one farm in the Shortandinsky district is telling. They didn't wait around and sold their entire harvest directly from the field.

"...flax performed well. The yield was about 12 centners per hectare. We sold it immediately to China—right from the field: a company sent trucks, we packed it in big bags, and the flax was gone. Oilseeds, no matter how you look at it, are the most marginal right now," says the head of the farm.

This farmer plans to nearly double the area allocated to flax next year: from 260 to 460 hectares. This is a clear example of how diversification helps not just to survive, but to "climb out of debt after the 2023 drought."

Of course, switching to flax is not a universal solution for everyone. Growing oilseeds requires its own agricultural technology, processing costs, and specialized equipment. Some farmers, who have already allocated up to half of their land to flax, are cautious about further expansion.

"We won't increase flax for now—we sowed a lot of it this season, almost half of all areas. We were betting specifically on it: the crop is marginal, the price is higher than for grains. We don't plan to abandon oilseeds, but there are plenty of costs associated with it," notes a farmer from the Tselinogradsky district, who has about 2,000 tons of flax ready for sale.

Nevertheless, the survey shows that almost everyone who has tried sowing flax plans to either maintain or increase the area dedicated to it. Even those who are just starting, like the farmer from the Arshalynsky district who sowed flax for the first time, already see its potential.

The conclusion is clear: in conditions of unstable grain prices, climate risks, and infrastructural problems, diversification is no longer a buzzword, but a vital necessity.