Dozens of Tons of Wheat Stolen in Qostanay Region During Harvest

54 tons of wheat was stolen directly from the territory of an agricultural company in the Qostanay region. Police later detained the suspects, Orda.kz reports.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the theft was uncovered during a police raid. On the Auliekol–Dievka highway, district inspector Meirbek Nurgeldin and deputy head of the police department Serik Biketbayev stopped a KAMAZ truck with a trailer. The cargo documents appeared suspicious, and the driver was unable to explain where the wheat was coming from or where it was headed.

The truck was taken to the police department, where it was revealed that the grain had been stolen from Agrofirma Dievskaya LLC. Later, officers discovered a rented warehouse in the village of Amanqaragay containing another batch of stolen wheat, taken several days earlier.

A criminal case has been opened for theft committed by a group acting in prior conspiracy. The suspects include an employee of the agrofirm and a resident of Novosyolovka,  police said.

The company’s executive director, Oleg Danilenko, suggested that other employees might also be involved. Agrofirma Dievskaya now plans to strengthen security by installing CCTV cameras and monitoring transport more closely.

Meanwhile, the harvesting campaign is in full swing across the regions. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, 9.5 million tons of grain have been threshed so far, covering 41.8% of Kazakhstan’s sown area.

However, this year’s figures remain below last year’s yield. In 2024, farmers faced a different problem: what to do with 26.5 million tons of grain when the domestic market was oversaturated, traditional importers had cut purchases, and temporary restrictions had been introduced on exports to Russia.

Original Author: Alina Pak