Kazakhstan will develop a comprehensive program to support the adoption of water-saving technologies in agriculture, including concessional financing, irrigation infrastructure development and support for domestic equipment manufacturers, Qazinform News Agency reports, citing the Kazakh Government.
The directive was issued by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin during a meeting on the development of irrigated agriculture. According to the Government, the program will cover the entire process of introducing modern irrigation systems, from water supply to on-farm equipment installation.
It will include concessional financing for the purchase of sprinkler machines, irrigation systems and related infrastructure, as well as a financial model for farming using water-saving technologies that takes into account crop types and expected economic returns.
Priority state support will be given to domestically produced equipment. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Kazakhstan currently has 1.6 mln ha of irrigated farmland. Of that area, 57% is irrigated using surface irrigation, 36% with water-saving technologies and 7% through flood irrigation.
Kazakhstan has seven domestic manufacturers of sprinkler irrigation equipment, including three in Turkistan region, two in Astana and one each in Almaty and Atyrau regions. The country is also localizing the production of equipment by global brands Lindsay, Valley, and Bauer to improve farmers' access to modern irrigation technology.
The Government aims to expand irrigated farmland to 2.5 mln ha by 2030. According to the Government, Kazakhstan has, for the first time, aligned its crop planting structure with actual water-use limits. Ahead of the current growing season, the area planted with the most water-intensive crops was reduced, including a 20,600-ha cut in rice cultivation.
At the same time, the cotton area will remain unchanged at 162,400 ha, supported by wider adoption of water-saving technologies, including an additional 29,800 ha under drip irrigation and a 12,000-ha reduction in conventional irrigation. Spring sowing has been completed, with the total planted area reaching 23.8 mln ha, including 80,000 ha of rice and 162,400 ha of cotton.
The Government already offers a range of incentives to encourage the adoption of modern irrigation technologies, reimbursing up to 80% of the cost of drilling wells and purchasing and installing water-saving irrigation systems. It also operates a differentiated subsidy scheme for irrigation water based on the technologies used.
Kazakhstan plans to introduce water-saving technologies on at least 150,000 ha annually. They are currently used on 543,500 ha, with the area expected to reach 1.3 mln ha by 2030. Around 30,000 ha of rain-fed farmland will also be converted into irrigated land each year, with about 60% of the new area to be equipped with sprinkler irrigation systems.
This will require the purchase of around 1,500 sprinkler machines annually. With each unit costing about 60 mln tenge, the annual demand for concessional loans is estimated at 90 bln tenge. Zhumangarin instructed local authorities to review agricultural land near water sources, identify plots suitable for irrigated farming, facilitate their conversion to irrigated land and ensure their efficient use.