Agriculture in Kazakhstan remains a small scale sector of Kazakhstan's economy. Agriculture's contribution to the GDP is under 10% – it was recorded as 6.7%, and as occupying only 20% of labor. At the same time, more than 70% of its land is occupied in crops and animal husbandry. Compared to North America, a relatively small percentage of land is used for crops, with the percentage being higher in the north of the country. 70% of the agricultural land is permanent pastureland.
Kazakhstan's largest crop is wheat, which it exports. It ranks as the sixth largest wheat producer in the world.[1] Minor crops include barley, cotton, sugar beets, sunflowers, flax, and rice. Agricultural lands in Kazakhstan were depleted of their nutrients during the Virgin Lands Campaign during the Soviet era. This continues to affect production today. Kazakh wine is produced in the mountains east of Almaty.
In 2011 the country had achieved record grain harvests of 26.9 million tons, exceeding the previous record of 21mn tons recorded in 2009. For 2012, the Kazakh Agriculture Ministry cut the crop forecast to only 14 million tons because of dry weather.[2][3]
Animals raised in Kazakhstan include cattle, chickens, sheep, pigs, horses and goats (in descending order of numbers). Meat production in tons was highest in cows, pork, mutton, chicken, and "other meat". Wool, cow milk, and eggs are the other major animal products of the country.
In March 2015 the Minister of Agriculture of Kazakhstan said that Kazakhstan had almost doubled agricultural production in the past 5 years.[4] He also noted that the agricultural exports had increased by 1.6 times during that period and had reached US$3 billion.[4]
On July 23, 2015, the Kazakhstan Vice Minister of Agriculture said that within the framework of the law "On Agricultural Cooperation" a special tax regime would be introduced for agricultural cooperatives.[5] This initiative is expected to contribute to the development of the agricultural sector of Kazakhstan.
From 1995 to 2015 Kazakhstan's volume of agricultural production has increased by 41%. Agricultural exports were worth $379 million in 2015, reports the Ministry of Agriculture.[6] Investment in Kazakh agriculture increased 50% in 2016 totaling 228 billion tenge (US$686.96 million) compared to 148 billion tenge (US$445.92 million) a year earlier.[7]