Oilseed crops in Kazakhstan will grow again

At a government meeting, Aidarbek Saparov, Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, announced a preliminary forecast for the 2026 sowing campaign. According to the department’s plans, the total sown area in the country will reach 23.8 million hectares, 180,000 hectares more than the previous year. The primary focus is on diversification: reducing low-margin wheat in favor of more profitable and in-demand crops, such as oilseeds, as well as reducing the area under moisture-loving crops to ensure efficient water use.

According to the department’s reports, the dynamics of changes in sown area will be as follows:

• Oilseeds: increase by 55,000 hectares;
• Forage crops: increase by 242,000 hectares;
• Barley: +94,000 hectares;
• Wheat: decrease by 125,000 hectares to 12.1 million hectares;
• Rice: decrease by 20,200 hectares;
• Cotton: decrease to 162,400 hectares;
• Corn: increase to 265,000 hectares (+90,000 hectares);
• Potatoes (in organized farms): +10,300 hectares;

Drip irrigation areas will increase by 29,800 hectares, while conventional irrigation will decrease by 12,000 hectares.

Aidarbek Saparov clarified that the ministry is developing a mechanism for forward financing of farmers through the republic’s food corporation, with subsequent delivery of the harvest to the investor to utilise processing facilities.

Tags: sunseed, Kazakhstan, oilseeds