Agriculture of Kazakhstan: industries, problems, development. Agriculture of Southern Kazakhstan

Agriculture of Kazakhstan is one of the most developed branches of the economy of the state. In each of the individual regions, conditions favor the cultivation of certain crops. Particular attention is paid to livestock.

Geography and climate

The territory of Kazakhstan is located both in Central Asia and in Eastern Europe, it is washed by the Caspian and Aral Seas. The continental climate causes a cold little snowy winter and a hot dry summer.

About half of the country's territory are deserts and semi-deserts. On the western part there are mountain ranges. As for water resources, there is a deficit due to geographical location. Sources of life-giving water are seven large river arteries, as well as 13 large reservoirs. Speaking about vegetation, it should be noted that such steppe plants as feather grass, wormwood and shrubs that are resistant to drought prevail. Green alpine meadows are found in the highlands. As for forests, they occupy 5.4% of the territory and are concentrated mainly in the north and south of the country.

Perhaps the most important for agriculture are the soil. A significant part is accounted for specifically for chernozems, chestnut and brown soils. Serozems and brown soils are also present.

How the industry developed

The development of agriculture in Kazakhstan should be considered starting from the 1950s. In view of the economic crisis, the Soviet authorities decided to expand the acreage. Then virgin lands were actively developed in Kazakhstan and a number of other republics. It should be noted that it was necessary to develop those areas that were characterized by low moisture and a tendency to erosion.

It should be noted that the development of virgin lands led to a record harvest of cereals. At the same time, a sharp decline in pasture areas was a negative consequence. To prevent the crisis of animal husbandry, specialized collective farms are obliged to increase the number of livestock. The Soviet period of development of agriculture was also marked by the reform of machine and tractor stations.

In the 60-80s the most intensive development of agriculture was observed. Cooperative ownership was completely transformed into a state one, which allowed to strengthen control over the movement of money. This led to the fact that many agrarians preferred to leave the village. The government decided to attract specialists from other republics, as well as the use of urgent military personnel.

At the moment almost all agricultural land is in private hands. And, as in the late 70s, the problem of providing the population with meat and dairy products is quite acute, which indicates the need for reforms.

Characteristics of the industry

Agriculture of Kazakhstan is characterized by the following distinctive features:

• Marked zoning (horizontal and vertical) of soil cover;
• More than half of all land suitable for processing falls on the desert and semi-desert zones;
• 85% of agricultural land is allocated for pasture (this is about 189 million hectares);
• Kazakhstan is among the ten largest exporters of wheat and flour;
• The largest share of crops grown is in cereals, fruit and berry, oilseeds, and cotton;
• In Kazakhstan, traditionally developed the livestock sector, as well as the production of leather and wool.

The place of agriculture in the economy of Kazakhstan

Agriculture of Kazakhstan is one of the fundamental branches of the economy of the state. It is worth noting that annually it brings 38% of the total national income. At the same time, about 16% of the state's labor force is employed in this sphere. This is due to the high level of mechanization and automation. It should be noted that there are more than 31,000 agricultural enterprises in the country, as well as about 32,000 peasant farms.

It should be noted that Kazakhstan's agriculture ranks second in the world in the production of grain crops with an index of 967 kilograms per capita (the leading positions belong to Canada, where the figure is 1,168 kg). At the same time, it is the only post-Soviet republic that exports bread. Nevertheless, the productivity and productivity of such an industry as livestock production in Kazakhstan is rather low (paradoxically, as it is). According to this indicator, the state ranks 142nd in the world.

Branches of agriculture in Kazakhstan

The agrarian sector is the strongest mechanism that provides not only the internal resources of the state, but also its position in the external market. Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan is traditionally represented by two main industries:

• Livestock breeding - develops in such areas as cattle breeding (meat and dairy production), sheep, horses, camels, pigs and goats. A significant proportion accounted for poultry farms. A separate, albeit minor, niche is breeding and industrial fishing.
• Crop production is the basis of Kazakhstan's agriculture. The largest share is taken by spring wheat, which is sold not only in the domestic, but also in the foreign market. Also worth noting the prevalence of crops such as rice, buckwheat, barley, oats, millet and corn. Significant areas under crops are allocated for sugar beet and oilseeds (sunflower, rapeseed). For the textile industry, cotton and flax are grown. Also worth noting are such crops as potatoes, apples, melons and grapes.

Agriculture of Southern Kazakhstan

It is worth noting the diversity of natural and climatic conditions in the republic. So, the agriculture of Southern Kazakhstan functions in the conditions of a high temperature of air in a piedmont strip. With a good organization of artificial irrigation, it is possible to achieve high rates for the collection of cotton, rice, sugar beet and tobacco. It is also worth noting that this is the most favorable place for the development of horticulture and viticulture.

Features of agriculture in western Kazakhstan

Agriculture of Western Kazakhstan is represented mainly by livestock, which is due to large areas of pastures and meadows. The greatest share is accounted for the breeding of sheep, horses and camels. If we talk about crops, more than 70% of arable land is allocated for wheat. The remaining areas are occupied by barley, millet and rye.

Agriculture in the northern part of Kazakhstan

Agriculture of Northern Kazakhstan is developing rapidly under the influence of favorable climatic conditions. Here the most developed meat and dairy cattle breeding, as well as breeding of birds. The main industry is sheep breeding. Agricultural fields are occupied by crops of cotton and grain crops. Also, there are very favorable conditions for growing vegetables, fruits and melons.

Features of agriculture in Eastern Kazakhstan

Agriculture in Eastern Kazakhstan is represented mainly by non-irrigated agriculture. The largest land areas are occupied by sunflower crops. In the valleys of rivers there are significant fields of wheat, oats, peas, and also vegetable crops. Also worth noting is the rapid development of meat and dairy cattle breeding. In some areas, watered viticulture is developed. Also much attention is paid to the breeding of pigs and horses. The West of Kazakhstan is characterized by developed beekeeping, fur-bearing industry and beekeeping.

State policy in the field of agriculture

The development of agriculture in Kazakhstan is carried out with the support of the authorities. State regulation and reform is aimed at implementing the following basic ideas:

• Increase of entrepreneurial activity of the population of rural areas, as well as raising their level of well-being;
• Providing residents of agrarian areas with electricity, gas, drinking water and other vital resources;
• Construction and major repairs of roads in rural areas;
• Modernization of telecommunication systems;
• Strengthening of health care measures in rural areas (construction or overhaul of hospitals, involvement of relevant specialists);
• Reform of education in schools and other educational institutions;
• Providing residents of villages with access to cultural and sports programs;
• Increase the level of security in the villages by increasing the number of police stations, as well as parts of the Ministry of Emergency Situations;
• Ensuring environmental safety in rural areas;
• Development of policy mechanisms in the sphere of internal migration with the aim of reducing the outflow of population from agrarian regions.

Problems of development of the industry

The following main problems of Kazakhstan's agriculture can be singled out:

• Insufficient receipt of tax payments to the budget, which is associated with the difficulties of transition from the old state farm to the modern farmer;
• Insufficient number of financial injections into the industry;
• The deplorable state of the dairy industry (the most vivid illustration of the problem is the forced purchase of products in neighboring Kyrgyzstan);
• The need to increase the number of livestock to increase the export of meat products to neighboring countries;
• A shortage of areas for storing the crop (the area of the elevators should be expanded at least twice to ensure the preservation of the crop);
• Migration of the population to cities due to inadequate development of villages and villages (the population working in the agrarian sector basically does not have the appropriate education and qualifications);
• Growth in imports of agricultural products;
• Obsolete material and technical base;
• Insufficient level of development of local science in the field of agriculture.

conclusions

Based on all of the above, it can be concluded that there is some stagnation in an industry such as Kazakhstan's agriculture. Briefly, the situation can be described as irrational and incomplete use of natural and human resources, as well as inadequate financing of the agricultural sector. The climate and natural resources of Kazakhstan contribute to the development of livestock, as well as the cultivation of grain crops. Thanks to the policy of virgin lands development, which was carried out during the Soviet period, there are significant areas of arable land, which provides Kazakhstan leading positions in the world grain market.

It is worth noting the exceptional importance of agriculture for the economy of Kazakhstan. This sector accounts for almost 40% of the national income of the state. Given that in this sector employs less than 20% of the economically active population, we can talk about a high level of automation of production. Despite the existing problems with the yield indicator, the country managed to get the second place in the world among grain exporters. This is the only republic of the post-Soviet space that has the opportunity to sell bread abroad.

Despite the fact that agriculture plays a fundamental role in the economy of Kazakhstan, it has some problems. One of the main difficulties is the incomplete transition to a modern farmer's form, which makes it difficult to control the payment of taxes. Also worth noting is the insufficient amount of investment in the industry. The greatest stagnation is observed in the meat and dairy industry, which leads to the forced import of these products to meet consumer demand. Another key problem that requires immediate resolution is the lack of space for storing the harvested crop.