Agricultural producers call for a revision of fuel allocation standards

Ahead of the sowing campaign, representatives of the Association of Agricultural Producers of the Kostanay region discussed the need to update the current standards for the distribution of fuel and lubricants.

According to farmers, the existing system does not reflect the actual needs of agricultural enterprises and requires revision.

The issue of adjusting the norms was raised as early as October 2025 during a meeting between agricultural producers and the Minister of Agriculture of Kazakhstan, Aidarbek Saparov. At that time, industry representatives pointed to a significant gap between the established fuel consumption standards and the actual costs of farms.

The current subsidized fuel standards were approved almost ten years ago. During this time, the cost of fuel and lubricants, veterinary medicines and spare parts has increased significantly. Under inflationary conditions, farmers believe that government support measures need to be updated and indexed.

According to regional maslikhat deputy and entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience Kairat Ospanov, fuel consumption in livestock farming averages between 75 and 100 liters per conditional head per year. Fuel is used not only for feed harvesting but also for the daily maintenance of livestock farms.

He noted that the market price of diesel fuel is about 25% higher than the subsidized price. Expanding access to subsidized fuel could reduce the cost of meat and milk production by an average of 3–5%.

Under current regulations, livestock farms receive subsidized fuel on a residual basis. According to Svetlana Mikhailenko, director of the Association of Agricultural Producers of the Kostanay region, similar problems also exist in crop production.

Currently, farmers receive about 32–33 liters of diesel fuel per hectare, and this norm has not been revised for several years. Meanwhile, the actual costs of cultivating oilseeds and legumes are significantly higher and depend on the equipment used, agricultural technologies and the distance of fields.

Kazakhstan also has a system of counter obligations for farmers that requires compliance with scientifically based crop rotation systems. Fallow fields play an important role in this system, and their cultivation requires about 28–30 liters of fuel per hectare.

Additional resources are also needed for plant protection. Diseases and pests constantly adapt, so farmers carry out several stages of crop treatment. On wheat fields, an average of 3–4 treatments are carried out, while rapeseed, lentils and flax require 4–5 treatments.

In addition, during harvesting in the cold season fuel consumption increases by about 40%. This is due to the need to warm up machinery, shorter working hours in the field and additional machinery transfers. As a result, actual diesel fuel consumption may reach about 60 liters per hectare.

In this regard, the Association of Agricultural Producers of the Kostanay region proposes amendments to the orders of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan.

In particular, it is proposed to gradually increase the average fuel allocation norm to 45 liters per hectare with a further increase to 60 liters. It is also proposed to establish separate fixed fuel quotas for livestock farms at the level of 75–100 liters per conditional head per year.

In addition, it is proposed to allocate winter diesel fuel in the amount of at least 30% of the norm provided for harvesting operations.

According to Alexander Borodin, chairman of the Association of Agricultural Producers of the Kostanay region, it is important for the real sector of the agro-industrial complex to develop a systematic solution for fuel supply that takes into account the real needs of agricultural producers.