KazAgroFarm in Astana brought together over 300 companies from 25 countries
The German cattle breeding association MASTERRIND, which has worked with farms in Kazakhstan for 15 years, showcased its cattle supply services at the exhibition. The association's farms have a breeding base of 620,000 cows and export animals to various countries. Buyers in Kazakhstan mainly purchase Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle. Around 2,000 head were delivered by air in 2026. Each animal costs approximately €4,000, including transport; government subsidies reimburse farmers for part of the expense. Contracts have already been signed for the delivery of another 800 head in 2027. MASTERRIND also plans to supply beef and dual-purpose cattle under the new Comprehensive Livestock Development Plan. Germany had one of the largest pavilions; its companies also supply Kazakhstan with agricultural machinery, equipment and seeds.
A separate session focused on restoring pastures by overseeding perennial grasses. The Meat Union of Kazakhstan has launched such a project in the Akmola region, aiming to expand livestock farmers' feed resources and reduce meat production costs. The union's chairman, Maksut Baktibayev, said the organization grows crested wheatgrass for seed and has purchased specialized machinery. Partners will be offered overseeding services in exchange for livestock offspring. According to him, one-off expenditure of 10–20 million tenge on pasture improvement is difficult for many farms to afford, and no government support is available for this work. Overseeding crested wheatgrass, sainfoin and other perennial crops can double pasture carrying capacity for the following five years. Crested wheatgrass is suitable for the dry conditions typical of livestock-raising areas.
DeLaval presented dairy farming technologies. The company's general director for Central Asia and the South Caucasus, Andrey Morzak, links the sector's further development to wider adoption of robotics: in his assessment, automation helps address labour shortages on farms and attract young people. Kazakhstan's first DeLaval milking robots began operating in 2012 at the Bobrovka+ farm in the east of the country. There are still few such projects, but Morzak expects their number to increase. Rakurs exhibited LED lights for livestock buildings, protected against ammonia fumes, high humidity and high temperatures. The manufacturer provides a five-year warranty. The company's regional director in Kazakhstan, Andrey Puzach, highlighted the option to switch between white and red lighting for daytime and nighttime work. Rakurs lights have been used in the construction of dairy complexes for the Zenchenko and K limited partnership, Atameken-Agro and Eurasia Invest LTD.
Chinese suppliers presented agricultural drones, whose use in farming was the subject of a seminar in the business programme. Companies from China also supply Kazakhstan with irrigation equipment and machinery for every stage of potato production—segments previously dominated by European and American brands. SinoTech demonstrated Star potato machinery and Irritech sprinkler irrigation systems. SinoTech Group's general director, Tair Shlyakov, said that when deliveries began, farmers, particularly in northern Kazakhstan, doubted the reliability of Chinese machinery. In his assessment, several brands have established their reputations over five years. He also highlighted the importance of the purchase price for investment payback, giving a hypothetical comparison between machinery costing 400 million and 500 million tenge. In 2026, the company expanded its range and began supplying Kazakhstan with trailed harvesters equipped with hoppers. SinoTech reports strong interest in these machines among farms and expects sales to increase in 2027.
Rostselmash, which retains its leading position in Kazakhstan's tractor and combine harvester market and has an assembly plant in Kokshetau, presented an electric agricultural autosteering system. The system was developed jointly with Itelma. Rostselmash's deputy director for key accounts, Azamat Akhmetov, said the navigation equipment supports all satellite navigation systems. The autosteering system can be connected to machinery from different manufacturers through the standard ISOBUS protocol. It is designed for tractors, combine harvesters and sprayers, enabling variable-rate seeding as well as variable-rate application of fertilizers and spray solutions.
In the agrochemicals section, EuroChem presented Croplex NPS 12-40+10S, a nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer containing two forms of sulphur. The water-soluble sulphate form becomes available to plants immediately after application, while elemental sulphur provides nutrition in the second half of the growing season. Ruslan Rakhymbayev, head of sales at Agrocentre EuroChem-Kazakhstan, also announced the start of potassium chloride deliveries and the continued availability of the fertilizer range already used by farms. Eridon Kazakhstan exhibited Belgian crystalline compound fertilizers from the Rosasol range. According to deputy director for regional development Vladislav Akhmerov, they are suitable for both fertigation and foliar feeding. The company offers comprehensive crop production support, including preparing fields and seeds for sowing, plant nutrition during the growing season, and protection against pests and diseases.
Exhibitor KAZSEED presented seed developments for Kazakhstan's challenging weather conditions. KazSeeds director Serik Ramazanov spoke about visits to customer farms during the season, when temperatures approached 40 degrees with no rainfall. He highlighted the performance of the Aliya and Lola hybrids, with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) maturity ratings of 160 and 190 respectively, in the Pavlodar region. According to him, irrigated Lola produced more than 400 centners per hectare of silage biomass and around 10 tonnes per hectare of grain. Sholpan Kozhabayeva, director of Expo Group, which organizes KazAgroFarm, noted that over 17 years the exhibition has become a venue for business meetings, machinery sales and technology presentations. She said it attracts national stands from dozens of countries and foreign delegations, including those led by ministers and deputy ministers.
