04.11.2025, 10:25
Damp Harvest and Dryer Shortages: Akmola Region Farmers Battle Rain Aftermath
Akmola region farmers face dryer shortages and falling prices for damp grain
The harvesting campaign in the Akmola region has concluded. Equipment is in the hangars, but the grain remains on threshing floors, under sheds, and in warehouses. Farmers are looking at the impressive piles of wheat, flax, and lentils with little joy.
"We finished on time, but the rains ruined everything. The wheat yield was 23 c/ha (centners per hectare). Neighbors are reporting 30, but I have an honest 23. The quality is suffering too: mostly fourth-grade. We got caught in the rain while harvesting," a farmer from the Bulandy district told an Agrosearch analyst.
The situation with legumes and oilseeds looks more optimistic. The precipitation barely affected them: flax yielded 12 centners per hectare, and lentils 21 c/ha. But even here, some farmers faced difficulties.
"It's all just sitting there. Not a single kilogram has been sold. Not one elevator in the district is accepting grain. Kenesary, Akkol, Zhamantuz, Zhaltyr—it's the same everywhere: 'We are not taking it.' Their own grain is damp; until they dry it, they won't accept anyone else's. And I don't have my own dryer," sighs the farmer.
Now the harvest is literally waiting on the weather. Grain with 16% moisture is in warehouses. Grain with 17-19% moisture is being stored in open areas. Farmers are saving the harvest as best they can: constantly turning and aerating it to prevent spoilage.
There are buyers in the market, but they are in no hurry to close deals, waiting for prices to fall further.
"They won't offer more than 55-60 thousand (tenge) per tonne for wheat. Flax has gotten cheaper: it was 230-240, now it's 210. And still, no one is rushing to buy. They come, run an analysis, and then silence. They are probably waiting for it to get even cheaper," the farmer says.
And so it is: the land provided, the people grew it. Now everything depends on how the warehouses, the market, and the weather perform.
"I don't know what to plant next year yet. The main thing is to get this harvest sorted out," the villager concluded.
As a reminder, the average expected yield in the region this year was 9.2–11.2 c/ha.
