BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 16. We intend to develop
Kazakhstan as a leading agro-industrial hub in Central Asia.
This was announced by the press service of the Kazakh president,
citing Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's remarks at the meeting with
representatives of the Chinese business community in Shanghai.
Speaking to business leaders, President Tokayev noted that
Kazakhstan has achieved record grain harvests of 27 million tons
for two consecutive years, attributing this success to the
integration of modern farming technologies. The country is
intensifying its agricultural digitalization efforts, currently
employing drones, satellite monitoring for crop health, and
precision farming techniques. To date, more than 200 agricultural
enterprises operate as "smart farms," with over 650 additional
producers transitioning to digital management systems.
The President emphasized that the state is also developing a
national digital tracking system to monitor the entire supply chain
of agricultural products from the field to the consumer. This
initiative aims to boost production volumes and develop a
high-value-added food processing industry.
"We intend to develop Kazakhstan as a leading agro-industrial
hub in Central Asia," President Tokayev stated, highlighting that
the fastest route to this objective lies in adopting AI, robotic
systems, and integrated digital supply chains.
The President further noted that the country is developing
advanced storage infrastructure, including automated logistics
centers and cold storage facilities, and invited Chinese companies
to participate in these initiatives to foster mutually beneficial
industrial growth.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan has achieved 80-100% domestic
self-sufficiency across its main food categories in H1 2026, with
food production volume up 14.7% and beverage output up 4.4%
year-on-year.
According to government data, a total of six categories of goods
remain vulnerable in terms of their dependence on imports: poultry,
fish, sausage products, cheese, sugar, and apples. To keep consumer
prices in check and eliminate speculative markups, the government
is holding direct working meetings with major retail chains and
organizing regular regional farmers’ markets where products are
sold directly by producers at prices 15–20% below market rates.
