Kazakhstan's 2026 Sowing Campaign Completed on Schedule

Kazakhstan has completed its 2026 spring sowing campaign as part of the implementation of the Head of State’s directives aimed at strengthening food security and developing the agro-industrial complex. Spring fieldwork was carried out in all regions of the country within the established agronomic deadlines.

The successful completion of the campaign was facilitated by a comprehensive package of government support measures implemented by the Government. Particular attention was paid to providing farmers with the necessary material and technical resources, diversifying crop structures, introducing water-saving technologies, renewing agricultural machinery, and expanding access to concessional financing.

These measures ensured the stable execution of fieldwork and created additional conditions for improving the efficiency of agricultural production.

The total sown area in Kazakhstan this season reached 23.8 million hectares, which is 180 thousand hectares more than last year. Before the start of mass sowing, a full range of mandatory agronomic activities was carried out in all regions, including moisture retention, pre-sowing soil preparation, and spring plowing.

The structure of sown areas by crop was as follows:

• Grain crops – 14.6 million hectares;
• Oilseeds – 4.2 million hectares;
• Fodder crops – 1.2 million hectares;
• Cotton – 166 thousand hectares;
• Vegetables – 120 thousand hectares;
• Potatoes – 126 thousand hectares;
• Melons and gourds – 84 thousand hectares;
• Sugar beet – 22 thousand hectares.

In accordance with instructions given by the President at the Agricultural Workers Forum, the Government introduced an early financing mechanism for agricultural campaigns. This mechanism allows farmers to secure the necessary financial resources in advance, purchase seeds, fertilizers, crop protection products, and machinery at more favorable prices, and prepare properly for field operations.

As a result, agricultural producers reduce their dependence on seasonal price increases and are able to conduct sowing activities within optimal agronomic timeframes.

Applications for financing the 2026 spring field campaign began exceptionally early, in October 2025. In total, 750 billion tenge has been allocated for concessional financing of spring sowing and harvesting operations at an annual interest rate of 5%.

To date, approximately 4.8 thousand agricultural producers have received financing totaling 573 billion tenge, covering more than 6.8 million hectares of farmland.

For farmers with insufficient collateral, a state guarantee program covering up to 85% of the loan amount remains available. In 2026, 16 billion tenge was allocated from the national budget for this measure. Within the framework of the campaign, 1,733 guarantees have already been issued for loans totaling 273 billion tenge.

Funds are now delivered to farmers through a broad network of operators, including:

• Agrarian Credit Corporation (ACC);
• Second-tier banks;
• Microfinance organizations;
• Regional Investment Centers (RICs);
• Credit partnerships;
• Social and Entrepreneurial Corporations (SECs).

Kazakhstan’s main grain-producing regions traditionally include Akmola, North Kazakhstan, and Kostanay regions. Since the results of sowing activities in these areas significantly affect the country's food security, they receive special attention.

In North Kazakhstan Region, the total sown area reached 4.3 million hectares. As part of crop diversification efforts, grain crop acreage was optimized to 2.9 million hectares, including 1.9 million hectares of wheat. At the same time, oilseed acreage remained at 1 million hectares, while fodder crops occupied 405 thousand hectares, potatoes 8.6 thousand hectares, and vegetables 1.4 thousand hectares.

In Akmola Region, the total sown area reached 5.6 million hectares. Grain and legume acreage was reduced by 184.6 thousand hectares to 4.5 million hectares. As a result, oilseed acreage expanded to 715 thousand hectares, while fodder crops increased to 370.7 thousand hectares. Potatoes and vegetables were planted on 8.6 thousand and 1.5 thousand hectares respectively.

Since the beginning of the year, 1.9 million tons of grain have been exported from Akmola Region. Additional momentum for processing development is expected from the construction of a deep grain processing plant in the Arshaly District with a capacity of up to 3 million tons of raw materials annually.

The project, implemented jointly with Dalian Hesheng Holdings Group Co., Ltd., involves investments of 900 billion tenge. It is expected to create up to 1,000 jobs during the first phase and up to 3,000 jobs once fully operational.

In Kostanay Region, the spring sowing area totaled 5.2 million hectares. As part of diversification efforts, oilseed acreage increased to 887 thousand hectares, legumes to 212.3 thousand hectares, potatoes to 7.5 thousand hectares, and annual grasses to 107 thousand hectares.

To support the campaign, 514.2 thousand tons of certified seeds were used, and 73.3 thousand tons of subsidized diesel fuel were allocated at a price not exceeding 281 tenge per liter.

The region remains Kazakhstan’s leader in grain processing into flour, accounting for approximately 30% of the national volume. There are 35 flour milling complexes operating in the region with a combined annual capacity of up to 2 million tons.

During 2024–2025, four grain processing investment projects worth a total of 9.3 billion tenge were commissioned in the region. Additional wheat deep-processing projects are planned for the coming years.

One of the key priorities of this year’s sowing campaign was diversification of agricultural production. In line with presidential directives, priority was given to highly profitable and strategically important crops.

As a result, oilseed acreage exceeded 4 million hectares, increasing by 74 thousand hectares. Fodder crops expanded by 237 thousand hectares to more than 3.3 million hectares.

At the same time, wheat acreage was reduced to 12.1 million hectares, which is 125 thousand hectares less than the previous year. Corn acreage was also reduced as part of the optimization process.

Special attention was paid to the rational use of water resources. In southern regions, areas dedicated to water-intensive crops were systematically optimized.

Specifically:

• Rice acreage nationwide was reduced by 20.6 thousand hectares;
• In cotton production, the transition to water-saving technologies was accelerated. Through the reduction of traditional irrigation methods on 12 thousand hectares, drip irrigation acreage increased by 29.8 thousand hectares.

Taking into account the production capacities of domestic oil refineries, the Ministry of Energy allocated 402.3 thousand tons of diesel fuel for the sowing campaign.

The Government implemented measures to restrain fuel costs for farmers. Including operator expenses, the final price of subsidized diesel fuel was fixed at 281 tenge per liter.

This is 15% lower than the average market price at filling stations across the country, where retail diesel prices stand at approximately 330 tenge per liter.

Under the approved delivery schedule, farmers have already signed contracts and paid for 324.8 thousand tons of fuel, representing 81% of the total planned volume. In practice, 300.9 thousand tons, or 75% of the subsidized fuel allocation, have already been delivered to the regions.

High productivity within optimal agronomic periods was ensured by the readiness of Kazakhstan’s machinery and tractor fleet.

Agricultural enterprises had access to:

• 133.9 thousand tractors;
• Approximately 5.6 thousand high-performance seeding complexes;
• 71.4 thousand seed drills;
• 188.5 thousand soil cultivation implements.

Field maintenance services were provided by 70 specialized service centers.

Thanks to government support programs, farmers previously acquired around 25 thousand units of modern agricultural machinery. This increased the annual machinery renewal rate to 6.5% and reduced equipment wear to 70%.

For the current season, the Head of State instructed the Ministry of Agriculture to accelerate fleet modernization. To achieve this goal, the Government launched a comprehensive package of support programs aimed at developing domestic agricultural machinery manufacturing.

One of the most popular instruments remains the concessional leasing program for agricultural machinery. Following presidential instructions, the financing allocated to this program has been significantly increased.

While 250 billion tenge was allocated last year for leasing domestically produced machinery, at least 300 billion tenge is planned for this year.

These measures enabled farmers to obtain high-performance machinery for sowing operations within optimal timeframes while also providing additional momentum for the development of related industrial sectors.