The 2025 sowing campaign in Kazakhstan has been successfully completed. This year, the campaign took place under new conditions for farmers. Following the instruction of the Head of State, the Government revised the mechanism for financing agricultural producers. Beginning this year, concessional loans became available in December 2024 instead of March—right at the start of sowing season as it was previously. This was done to allow farmers to purchase resources in advance.

Thanks to state support, the coordinated efforts of farmers, and local executive bodies, the campaign was carried out within optimal agro-technical timelines. This approach enabled the early completion of core fieldwork, expansion of areas under strategically important crops, and effective modernization of technical resources. As a result, a strong foundation was laid for a successful harvest and further agricultural development.

This review provides updated information on the pace of fieldwork, sown areas, dynamics across key grain-producing regions, and major indicators of material and technical preparedness.

Focus on Diversification and Efficiency

The 2025 sowing campaign took place amid evolving approaches to land management, with an emphasis on diversifying agricultural production and reducing reliance on monocultures. As of June 6, 23.7 million hectares were sown, representing 100% of the planned area.

Special focus was placed on reallocating farmland toward more profitable and resilient crops. This approach helps agriculture adapt to climate challenges and align with market trends, adhering to scientifically based crop rotation norms.

As a result, the following crop areas were increased:

• Oilseeds – 3.4 million ha (+0.5 million ha compared to last year)

• Fodder crops – 3.3 million ha (+114,000 ha)

• Maize for grain – 167,500 ha

• Vegetables and melons – 222,300 ha

Socially important crops also showed growth: potatoes were planted on 83,400 ha—an increase of 11,300 ha over last season.

Meanwhile, there has been a continued reduction in resource-intensive and price-volatile crops such as wheat, rice, and cotton. For instance, wheat was sown on 13 million ha—down 187,000 ha compared to last year.

This diversification strategy strengthens the nation’s food security and enhances the export potential of the agro-industrial complex.

A total of 2.3 million tons of seed were prepared nationwide for the 2025 campaign, ensuring farmers entered the fields on time with no resource shortages.

Currently, 246 certified entities operate in the seed sector: 28 produce original seeds, 82 produce elite varieties, and 136 produce first, second, and third reproductions. Additionally, 129 organizations are authorized to sell imported seeds.

To improve access to high-quality seed, the state provides partial reimbursement for seed purchase costs, covering 50% to 70% depending on the category and reproduction level.

Sowing Progress in Major Grain-Producing Regions

The main grain-producing regions of Kazakhstan remain Akmola, Kostanay, and North Kazakhstan. Their performance is crucial to the country's food security, and thus they receive heightened attention.

Akmola Region

Akmola was one of the first regions to complete sowing ahead of schedule, reinforcing its status as a key agricultural hub. While last year only 60% of work had been completed by this time, in 2025 the region finished nearly three weeks early.

Total sown area reached 5.5 million ha—63,000 ha more than last year. Winter preparations included large-scale snow retention, and over 2 million ha were treated for moisture conservation in spring—three times more than in 2024.

About 37,000 units of farm machinery, including modern sowing complexes, ensured high efficiency. Over 770 farms received over 100 billion tenge in loans, and 76,000 tons of diesel fuel were allocated at discounted prices.

Strategically important crops occupied more space: grains and legumes covered 4.6 million ha; oilseeds reached a record 430,000 ha—up 161,000 ha from last year. Fodder, vegetables, and potatoes also saw expanded cultivation.

Kostanay Region

Over 5 million ha were slated for sowing in Kostanay Region. There was significant growth in the share of oilseeds, socially important crops, and fodder.

Oilseeds rose to 755,000 ha—over 10% more than last year. Potato cultivation doubled to 7,000 ha, and buckwheat nearly doubled to 21,000 ha. The campaign is now complete.

Farmers received support under the “Keng Dala 2” concessional lending program: more than 20 billion tenge was provided through SPK Tobol and over 21 billion through the Agrarian Credit Corporation. An additional 4 billion tenge was raised via forward procurement.

Modernization of equipment remains a priority: through leasing, 385 pieces of equipment were procured, worth over 12 billion tenge. In 2024, local farms received 173 tractors and 97 combines.

North Kazakhstan Region

Early snowmelt and a steady temperature rise created ideal conditions for spring sowing.

Total area for agricultural crops in 2025 reached 4.4 million ha. Grain remains dominant at 3.3 million ha. Oilseed planting rose to 760,000 ha—an increase of 85,800 ha—mainly sunflower (+24,600 ha), flax (+47,900 ha), and rapeseed (+16,300 ha). Fodder crops occupy 392,000 ha, potatoes 8,000 ha, and vegetables 1,300 ha.

Sowing began at the end of April, adhering strictly to agro-technical standards. The region was among the first to start planting legumes and oilseeds.

The sowing of grain legumes has been fully completed. Farmers were supplied with 470,000 tons of conditioned seeds, including 52,600 tons of elite seeds. Variety renewal reached 11.2%. 317,100 tons of mineral fertilizers were contracted.

The necessary machinery fleet was in place: 12,300 tractors (4,000 high-performance), 13,700 grain seeders, and 1,500 modern sowing complexes. Equipment readiness stood at 100%.

Farmers received 52,200 tons of diesel fuel at a preferential rate of 254 tenge per liter, well below the market price of 311 tenge.

Government support remains a critical factor. Under “Keng Dala 1” and “Keng Dala 2,” funding of 92.6 billion tenge was provided, including 37 billion via SPK Soltustik. KazAgroFinance financed 14.4 billion tenge for 442 units of equipment. An additional 7.4 billion tenge was allocated for forward purchases.

The results of the 2025 sowing campaign confirm the effectiveness of ongoing reforms, the readiness of the agricultural sector for modern challenges, and the commitment of both government and farmers to sustainable development.

Changes in Approaches to Financing Sowing and Harvest Operations

Year after year, domestic farmers have faced the critical issue of insufficient concessional financing. In 2023, using budgetary allocations, Agrarian Credit Corporation JSC (ACC) financed 3,615 agricultural producers under the “Keng Dala” program for a total of 140 billion tenge, enabling concessional financing coverage of 3.6 million hectares of sown area.

Due to the lack of available loans, farmers did not fully follow agro-technology standards, did not purchase high-quality seeds, applied inadequate amounts of mineral fertilizers, carried out weak plant protection, and many operated outdated equipment.

The root of the problem lay in the shortage of budgetary lending, as previously the focus had been on direct state financing of the sector.

In accordance with the directives of the Head of State, the Government—in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture—has systematically worked to increase the accessibility of concessional loans for agricultural entities. Last year, these approaches were revised.

By combining commercial funds and financial instruments, the volume of financing for spring fieldwork and harvesting in 2024 was increased more than threefold. This increase became possible through attracting market funds via bond loans and subsequent subsidization of coupon rates. To implement this mechanism in 2024, 60 billion tenge was allocated from the Government Reserve.

Simultaneously, there was a task to deliver concessional funds to farmers as quickly as possible at a clear 5% annual interest rate.

To secure concessional lending for sowing and harvesting operations in 2025, 700 billion tenge was allocated. An additional 250 billion tenge was invested in concessional leasing of agricultural machinery to enable farmers to take out loans and lease equipment at an accessible 5% annual rate.

To ensure this funding reached everyone, a clear distribution system of six channels was established. These operators include:

• Agrarian Credit Corporation JSC (ACC)

• Second-tier banks

• Microfinance organizations

• Regional investment centers

• Credit partnerships

• Socio-entrepreneurial corporations (SPCs)

It is important to note that, for the first time in the history of Kazakhstan’s agro-industrial complex, concessional financing for the sowing season began early—in December 2024. This was made possible by the early financing initiative for the 2025 campaign.

With Government support, farmers quickly gained access not only through direct lending by ACC, second-tier banks, microfinance organizations, regional investment centers, credit partnerships, but also through socio-entrepreneurial corporations.

Furthermore, to resolve collateral insufficiency during lending for spring fieldwork and harvests, a loan guarantee mechanism was introduced via JSC “Entrepreneurship Development Fund ‘Damu’”, allowing up to 85% of the loan amount to be guaranteed.

Since the start of the application process, 7,407 requests totaling 493.5 billion tenge were submitted, of which 6,988 have already been approved and financed. This enabled the preparation of sowing operations across 7.3 million hectares.

For farms with insufficient collateral, access to funds became possible for small and debuting agricultural producers through the “Damu” fund. Within this program, 1,134 guarantees were issued totaling 166.5 billion tenge, with total loans amounting to 195.9 billion tenge.

Another important direction of support for producers under concessional funding is leasing. Building the sector’s potential without modern machinery is impossible. For this purpose, in 2024, 120 billion tenge was reallocated for the implementation of the “Concessional Leasing” program through KazAgroFinance.

It must be emphasized that in previous years, KazAgroFinance’s overall annual financing plan ranged between 170–175 billion tenge. At the same time, 90% of these funds were provided at commercial rates of 20–22%, making such programs unavailable to many farmers due to unfeasibly high interest rates. In 2024, conditions were created for farmers to acquire a wide range of essential domestic machinery at a 5% interest rate, which positively impacts the development of national machine-building.

Thanks to the measures taken, 3,870 agricultural producers acquired 4,320 units of essential domestic machinery.

Another support initiative is the concessional revolving credit program for processing enterprises aimed at financing working capital at a 5% interest rate. This new mechanism is designed to ensure market access for crops and raw materials from domestic production. Through this program, the issue of increasing the loading capacity of processing plants was resolved. The volume of financing in this direction in 2024 amounted to 35 billion tenge; in 2025, it is planned to allocate more than 40 billion tenge.

Renewal of Agricultural Machinery and Fuel Supply

To modernize the agricultural machinery fleet, a comprehensive package of state support is actively implemented. Key measures include investment subsidies, subsidized interest rates on loans and leasing, and the concessional leasing of machinery. These mechanisms enable farmers to purchase modern equipment on more favorable terms.

A significant incentive is the investment subsidy program, under which farmers are reimbursed 15–30% of the cost of purchased equipment, depending on its priority. Additional support includes subsidizing interest rates—up to 6% for priority machines and up to 15% for others. At the same time, the concessional leasing program allows farmers to acquire equipment at a 5% interest rate.

As of January 1, 2025, Kazakhstan had 139,000 tractors, 31,000 combines, 5,600 sowing complexes, 71,000 seeders, and 141,000 tillage implements. The renewal rate of the fleet in 2024 reached 5.5%, significantly higher than 4.5% in 2023. The target for 2025 is 6.5%. Overall, to maintain a technologically modern equipment fleet, a renewal rate of 8–10% is required.

The Ministry plans to achieve a 9% renewal rate by 2028. Accordingly, under the Head of State’s directives, funding for the concessional leasing of agricultural machinery will be increased to 450 billion tenge.

Current Government measures aimed at accelerating the renewal of the machine-tractor fleet are proving effective. A positive trend is backed by numbers: while only 8,500 units were purchased in 2017, 22,100 were purchased by the end of 2024—2.5 times more.

Particularly notable is progress under the “Concessional Leasing” program: the 250 billion tenge allocated in 2025 will enable farmers to acquire approximately 6,000 units. Since application opening on February 24, 3,555 applications totaling 129.2 billion tenge were submitted to KazAgroFinance. Already, 2,400 contracts were signed for 4,580 units of machinery worth 85.7 billion tenge.

Modern sowing complexes are also being actively used in the current sowing campaign—5,600 units cover up to 70% of grain belt areas. These are machines from leading global brands such as John Deere, CLAAS, and RSM, equipped with precision agriculture systems: GPS, autopilots, and precision seeding and fertilization systems.

Reliable provision of fuels and lubricants (F&L) is also critical. For the 2025 sowing campaign, 401,000 tons of diesel fuel have been allocated. In 2024, 376,400 tons were allocated. About 17,000 applications were received from agricultural producers. Due to regulation measures, final diesel prices stand at 254 tenge/liter—15–20% below market prices (301–307 tenge/liter at gas stations).

The Ministry monitors fuel deliveries to regions daily: of the allocated 368,800 tons, 339,000 tons (92%) have been paid for, and 308,000 tons (84%) delivered.

Government measures are yielding tangible results in renewing machinery and supplying fuel, creating conditions for the sustainable development of the agro-industrial complex.

Overall, the 2025 sowing campaign marks a new stage in the development of Kazakhstan’s agro-industrial complex. Thanks to the initiatives of the Head of State and the Government’s systematic efforts, farmers for the first time received access to concessional financing ahead of the season. Substantial changes to state support mechanisms not only expanded coverage and increased assistance efficiency, but also solved key issues from previous seasons—namely, lack of working capital and late fieldwork start. This ensured timely execution of the campaign, rational resource usage, and high-quality sowing.

The result is not only solid progress in campaign pace and organization, but also significant steps toward sustainable, diversified agriculture. A robust foundation has been laid for a high-quality harvest and enhanced national food security.

#Agriculture #Agroindustrial complex #Spring field work

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