Maize Grain Monthly Update (Kazakhstan) 2026-01

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Agriculture reported that in 2025, the share of processed agricultural products for key categories such as meat, milk, oilseeds, corn, rice, and buckwheat reached 64%, with a target to increase this to 70% in 2026. Food production volume rose by 8.1% to 3.9 trillion tenge, while exports of processed products surged 35.3% to 3.6 billion USD. The ministry plans to implement 42 projects over the next three years, including 13 oilseed processing, 6 deep grain processing with 5.8 million tons capacity, 11 livestock, and 12 milk processing projects. State support has expanded with preferential loans and increased working capital financing, reaching 96.4 billion tenge in 2025. Total investments in agro-industrial capital grew 146% to 1,643 billion tenge in 2025, with 141 projects worth 1.2 trillion tenge planned for the current year. The ministry emphasizes that increasing processing capacity is a strategic priority to enhance profitability and export potential in Kazakhstan's agro-industrial complex.

The Kyzylorda region is reducing rice planting by 21% over the past four years, with rice sown on 70,000 hectares in 2026, down 10.9 thousand hectares from last year, as part of a strategy to diversify crops and conserve water. Total agricultural land will cover 185.8 thousand hectares, with a shift toward less water-intensive crops such as corn, industrial hemp, and soybeans. Major projects include a 40 billion tenge corn processing plant and a 51 billion tenge Swiss-backed initiative for hemp, corn, and soybean cultivation. Water-saving technologies are expanding, with drip and sprinkler irrigation planned for 16,700 hectares, up from 8,100 hectares last year, and laser leveling of rice fields increasing to 65,000 hectares. The region is fully supplied with seeds and progressing in fertilizer procurement and machinery readiness to support the sowing campaign starting in March.

Kazakhstan has approved the structure of sown areas for the 2026 agricultural season, increasing the total sown area by 180 thousand hectares to 23.8 million hectares. The plan emphasizes reducing wheat acreage by 125 thousand hectares to 12.1 million hectares, while expanding fodder crops by 242 thousand hectares, barley by 94 thousand hectares, corn by 90 thousand hectares, and oilseed crops by 55 thousand hectares. The Ministry of Agriculture allocated 700 billion tenge for concessional lending, with early financing starting in October 2024, resulting in 1.9 thousand agricultural entities receiving 200 billion tenge so far. Additionally, a concessional leasing program for domestic agricultural machinery worth at least 300 billion tenge will continue, alongside the allocation of 402 thousand tons of concessional diesel fuel to support the sowing campaign and plans to renew 8% of the agricultural machinery fleet.

The Zhambyl region is preparing for the 2026 spring field campaign with a strategic adjustment in crop structure and modernization of irrigation infrastructure. The total sown area is set at 623.3 thousand hectares, down by 16.7 thousand hectares from 2025, focusing on diversifying production and reducing water-intensive crops. Key crop areas include 145.1 thousand hectares for wheat, 187.8 thousand for barley, 23.3 thousand for corn, 40 thousand for oilseeds, and 185 thousand for forage crops. Reconstruction of 76 irrigation canals supported by the Islamic Development Bank will enhance water supply reliability over 430 km, irrigating 51.4 thousand hectares across several districts. The region also plans to increase mineral fertilizer use to 109.7 thousand tons on 478.2 thousand hectares and renew 8% of self-propelled agricultural machinery with 476 new units. Financial support through the "Ken Dala-2" program has already disbursed 2.5 billion tenge to farmers for timely procurement of seeds, fertilizers, and fuel.

A new processing plant for legumes and oilseed crops with an annual capacity of 72,000 tons has been launched in Semei, Kazakhstan, under LLP "Agrolider KAZ." The project, costing 4.1 billion tenge, created 50 jobs and aims to enhance the region's agro-industrial complex by focusing on deep processing and export expansion. The plant, built in just 18 months, will export products such as lentils, flax, beans, and buckwheat to 10 countries across Europe, Africa, China, and Turkey. This initiative aligns with regional priorities to increase investment attractiveness and move beyond raw material production toward high-quality finished goods. Additionally, the region plans to start refined oil production and a large meat processing plant this year, further advancing its agro-processing sector.

As of February 1, Kazakhstan's total reserves of cereals and legumes, including rice, stood at 17.11 million tons, up from 16.8 million tons on the same date last year. Wheat reserves increased slightly to approximately 13.96 million tons, with food wheat accounting for 12.2 million tons, seed wheat 1.07 million tons, and feed wheat about 687.6 thousand tons. Barley stocks remained stable at 1.86 million tons, while corn reserves rose to 139 thousand tons from 126 thousand tons. Oat reserves decreased to 198 thousand tons from 236 thousand tons, and buckwheat stocks declined to 71 thousand tons compared to 87 thousand tons the previous year.

Kazakhstan is accelerating the development of its agro-industrial complex by establishing six enterprises for deep processing of oilseeds, wool, meat, milk, compound feed, and juices by 2025, with an additional ten factories underway. A major industrial park for corn deep processing in the Zhambyl region, launching this year, will create a guaranteed annual demand for 3 million tons of corn—three times the country's current production—enabling Kazakhstan to enter global markets for treonine and glutamate. Despite advances in crop productivity, animal husbandry growth remains limited to 2-3%, hindered by veterinary, scientific, and workforce challenges. To address this, the government mandates that landowners with 10,000 hectares or more engage in livestock farming or face land seizure. The Comprehensive Livestock Development Plan includes preferential loans for breeding stock, educational grants, modern artificial insemination technologies, and support for nomadic livestock farming to boost sector performance and rural livelihoods.

Southern Kazakhstan regions including Turkestan, Kyzylorda, Jambyl, Almaty, and Jetisu are preparing for the 2026 growing season with a focus on water conservation and crop diversification amid water scarcity concerns. Key initiatives include the development of new reservoirs, extensive canal cleaning exceeding 1,000 km, and the adoption of water-saving technologies such as drip and sprinkler irrigation and laser field leveling. The total irrigated area using these technologies has reached 114,000 hectares, with plans to expand by 50,000 hectares in 2026. Crop patterns are shifting away from water-intensive crops like rice and cotton toward less moisture-demanding crops such as corn, soybeans, and oilseeds. Water use limits have been set regionally, with Turkestan and Jetisu approving limits of 2.1 billion and 1.3 billion cubic meters respectively, supported by ongoing infrastructure upgrades and groundwater pilot projects to reduce reliance on surface and transboundary water sources.

Kazakhstan's Food Industry Corporation has prioritized stimulating oilseed crop and corn production for the 2025/2026 grain season through expanded forward and direct procurement programs. In December 2025, the corporation began accepting applications for early financing of spring fieldwork in 2026, with contracts already signed for 142,000 tons of grain on prepayment terms. The corporation allocated 30 billion tenge last year to support 204 agro-formations using forward financing mechanisms. Responding to growing global demand for vegetable oils and food protein, Kazakhstan is diversifying sown areas and enhancing deep processing capabilities. Grain exports exceeded 13 million tons last year, reaching markets in North Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Southeast Asia, supported by a transportation cost reimbursement program.

A 51 billion tenge agro-project focused on the cultivation and deep processing of corn and soybeans is set to be implemented in Kyzylorda region, Kazakhstan. Under a tripartite agreement signed in October 2025 between the Ministry of Agriculture, the regional Akimat, and Harvest Agro, the project will develop 23.5 thousand hectares of land, with the first stage launching in 2026. This initial phase includes bringing 8.5 thousand hectares of irrigated land into use and constructing a seed processing plant. The second stage aims to double the sowing area and increase processing capacity to 60 thousand tons annually, targeting future production of 70 thousand tons of corn and 20 thousand tons of soybeans per year. Currently, 6 thousand hectares have been planned, and work is underway on leveling 8.5 thousand hectares, utilizing advanced irrigation technologies and specialized equipment to support the expansion of corn cultivation from 1.7 thousand hectares last year to 10 thousand hectares this year.