ALMATY – Kazakhstan harvested a record 27 million tons of grain in 2025 and increased agricultural investment by more than 20%, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced at the second National Forum of Agricultural Workers in Astana on Nov. 14.
Photo credit: Akorda
Tokayev emphasized the strategic importance of agriculture, highlighting that the forum has become a nationwide event with experts presenting deep and balanced proposals that will be incorporated into future policy, Akorda reported.
Decade of growth in agriculture
President Tokayev also pointed to demographic and economic trends underscoring the sector’s importance.
“Today, 37% of our population, that is 7.5 million people, live in rural areas. Ultimately, progress in agriculture means the development of villages, regions and the entire country,” he said.
According to Tokayev, investment in fixed capital in the agro-industrial complex rose more than 20% to reach 790 billion tenge (approximately US$1.46 billion) since January 2025, while labor productivity increased by 37.3% over the 2023-2025 period.
Credit access and modern equipment
Tokayev also emphasized the major improvements in agricultural financing, highlighting the international cooperation in the field.
“In the current year, the volume of preferential lending to agriculture exceeded 1 trillion tenge (US$1.85 billion) for the first time in the country’s history, ten times more than five years ago,” he said.
Tokayev highlighted the success of simplified leasing for domestic agricultural machinery, which helped reduce equipment depreciation from 90% to 70% in four years. He also mentioned a recently signed $2.5 billion strategic partnership with John Deere, which will enable the production of around 3,000 new machines in Kazakhstan over the next five years.
Export market’s growth
President Tokayev emphasized deep processing and foreign investment as critical for competitiveness. According to him, agricultural exports now exceed $5 billion and include more than 200 products supplied to 70 countries.
“The share of processed agricultural products was only 35% in 2023, while this year it has already reached 50%. Next year this indicator should reach 70%,” he said.
He noted Kazakhstan’s expanding export geography for wheat and flour, as well as its growing role in oilseeds, vegetable oils, and lamb exports, which reached 18,000 tons in 2024.
Air cargo potential for export markets
Tokayev underscored the importance of developing air-transport capacity for meat exports as experts predict that global meat consumption will rise to 233 million tons over the next decade.
He emphasized the strong demand from Gulf countries, highlighting that air logistics remain insufficient. According to Tokayev, airports in Astana, Almaty, Shymkent, Aktobe, Karagandy, and Aktau, operating within special economic zone frameworks, could become regional cargo hubs.
“Their full-scale functioning will ensure uninterrupted supplies of agricultural products to export markets,” Tokayev said, instructing the government to work on this project.