Kazakhstan: Expansion of acreage under other crops will not displace rice

According to the direction of development of the agro-industrial complex, which was chosen by the government of the country and taking a course to diversify crops, in each region of the Republic of Kazakhstan changes occur in the areas of crops.

It should be recalled that the ultimate goal of this development program is aimed at avoiding ubiquitous wheat growing, in favor of growing crops that are more profitable.

Therefore, Kyzylorodinsky agrarians plan in 2018 to expand the acreage of crops such as safflower, corn, alfalfa, millet and so on. It is planned to increase the area under crops by 4 thousand hectares, 369 hectares, 393 hectares, 197 hectares respectively.

At the same time, the representative of the region on agriculture states that the acreage under the rice will remain the same, and that the government’s policy will not replace the rice.

Given the fact that a significant part of the land in this region is saline, some phenomena occur that have a negative impact on rice plantations, such as secondary salinization. However, a specially designed device, which consists of three cycles, allows desalinization of the soil.

It should be noted that due to the intensive development of the livestock sector, the construction of large feed mills, there is a great demand for fodder-type crops. These are such crops as corn, barley, millet and so on, the production of which in this area, remains at not a very high level.

Kazakhstan continues to increase the area under other crops, but this does not mean abandoning the cultivation of rice. Now, not only grain crops, but also vegetables, fruits, melons and other types of products are grown on the farmlands of the country. The growing demand for grain, including rice, arouses interest among Kazakh farmers in the diversity of production.

In addition to rice, Kazakhstan is a major producer of wheat, barley, corn, sunflower, and other crops. However, the increase in acreage for other crops does not mean that the country will abandon rice production. Kazakhstan will maintain its position in this area and will continue to pay attention to the cultivation of this crop.

Kazakh farmers are focused on increasing the production of grain crops in general, and not just on a certain type of product. Thanks to this, the country will be able to meet the growing demand for grain, both in the domestic market and for export. At the same time, the diversity of production will allow farmers to reduce the risks associated with a possible drop in prices for a particular type of product.