Kazakhstan expects a high-quality harvest thanks to strong crop conditions

More than 99% of grain and oilseed crops in Kazakhstan are in good or satisfactory condition, creating favorable prospects for a high-quality harvest. The country’s Ministry of Agriculture reported this following a meeting on preparations for the upcoming harvesting campaign.

According to agrometeorological monitoring, despite uneven weather conditions, productive moisture reserves remain at optimal or satisfactory levels in most agricultural regions. Harvesting of winter crops has already started in the southern and western parts of the country.

As of July 21, Kazakh farmers had harvested 635.8 thsd tons of grain. The average yield stood at 2.06 t/ha.

The country’s total grain storage capacity is estimated at 30.7 mln tons, which should be sufficient to receive the expected harvest. Agriculture Minister Aidarbek Saparov instructed officials to reduce elevator occupancy and, if necessary, organize grain shipments to southern regions to free up capacity for the new crop.

Kazakhstan is also continuing to diversify its planted area in favor of more profitable crops. Oilseed acreage has reached a record 4.3 mln ha, forage crops cover 3.3 mln ha, and corn area totals 253.4 thsd ha. At the same time, wheat acreage was reduced by 125 thsd ha, while the share of grains in the crop structure declined from 73% to 66% over the past three years and the share of oilseeds increased to 18%.

Tags: Kazakhstan, crop condition