Kazakhstan to Reduce Wheat Planting by 100,000 Hectares in 2026
In Kazakhstan, the policy of diversifying agricultural crop planting areas will continue in 2026. According to updated plans, the area under grain crops will decrease by 112.4 thousand hectares, totaling 15.9 million hectares. The majority of the reduction will occur due to a decrease in wheat planting to 12.1 million hectares, which is 100,000 hectares less compared to last year.
This is reported by AgroReview
Increase in Oilseed and Forage Crop Planting
The Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Azat Sultanov, informed during a meeting on preparations for spring fieldwork that this year the total area of crops will reach 23.8 million hectares, exceeding the 2025 figure by 180,000 hectares.
Alongside the reduction in grain, Kazakhstan plans to expand the planting of high-margin and in-demand processing crops. In particular, oilseed plantings will increase by 55.2 thousand hectares, reaching 4.045 million hectares. Barley plantings will rise by 93.8 thousand hectares (to 2.4 million hectares), corn by 42.9 thousand hectares (to 217.5 thousand hectares), and forage crops will reach 3.4 million hectares.
“A significant increase in corn planting will be necessary to supply the new vertically integrated industrial park for deep corn processing by Fufeng Group in the Zhambyl region. This year, during the launch of the first phase of the plant, 500-700 thousand tons of corn will be needed for processing, and subsequently, 1 million tons. Forage plantings are increasing due to the start of a comprehensive livestock development program this year,” noted Azat Sultanov.
Optimization of Irrigation and Support for Farmers
As part of the preparations for the new growing season, meetings were held with farmers from the southern regions: Kyzylorda, Turkestan, and Zhambyl regions. During the discussions, the possibilities of reducing areas under moisture-loving crops in favor of less water-intensive crops, which are in demand by new deep processing enterprises, were considered.
In particular, in the Kyzylorda region, rice plantings are planned to be reduced by 8.5 thousand hectares, and in the Turkestan region by 7.4 thousand hectares. It is forecasted that 148.5 thousand hectares will be allocated for cotton, of which 15 thousand hectares will receive drip irrigation. At the same time, traditional irrigation methods will be reduced by 11 thousand hectares. A special working group has been established to address all these issues.
As a result of the discussions, the Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of National Economy, Serik Jumangarin, instructed the relevant ministries to develop a detailed plan for the effective use of agricultural land, incorporating modern irrigation and watering technologies.