Rice cluster development

Kyzylorda regional rice growers have set the task to increase exports and reduce the need for imported products. Despite the difficulties due to drought and low water in the current agricultural season, the regional farms have harvested 500,000 tonnes of rice. About 60 centners of the crop were collected from each hectare.

“This year, local rice varieties have been grown on an area of 1,156 hectares. For the next year about 3,000 tonnes of seeds were harvested from the obtained harvest, which can be sown on 12,000 hectares. This is almost 15% of the total. We plan to increase this figure to 50% in 2022,” said Kairatbek Sarsenbayev, Deputy Head, regional Department of Agriculture.

The country has taken a course towards the development of the rice cluster. A large-scale agricultural project has been developed, which has already made it possible to increase the production and export of cereals. Thanks to its implementation, high yields of rice were collected even in the northern districts of Kyzylorda region.

“If in 1991 the region produced agricultural products totaling 1,400,000 tenge (US$3,270), then last year it amounted to 16 billion tenge (US$ 38 million). Now, crops occupy 17,000 hectares, including grain more than 6,500 hectares. The production of agricultural products is developing,” said Mukhtar Orazbayev, a mayor of Kazaly district.

Over the years of independence, Kyzylorda regional agrarians have grown over 9 million tonnes of rice. Over the past 15 years, rice worth US$260 million has been exported from the Aral Sea region. The region, where up to 80% of all domestic rice is grown, does not intend to slow down.

Translated by Saule Mukhamejanova