Kazakhstan to Require $500 Million to Tackle Irrigation Issues

Kazakh farmers are increasingly struggling with water shortages for crop irrigation—an issue that once again hit the Turkistan region this year. Addressing the country’s growing water deficit will require hundreds of millions of dollars in investment, Orda.kz reports, citing Energyprom.kz.

According to Energyprom analysts, Kazakhstan had 1.9 million hectares of irrigated agricultural land in 2024. Yet, only 26.3% of that area used modern irrigation technologies.

In terms of adoption speed, the country is far behind its own targets: while the minimum requirement is to modernize 150,000 hectares per year, actual implementation has only reached 30,000 hectares annually.

Water withdrawals from rivers for farming are also shrinking. In 2020, 12.1 billion cubic meters were used; by 2024, this dropped to 11.4 billion. More than half of that volume is consumed in the southern regions—particularly Turkistan and Qyzylorda — where irrigation water shortages are most severe. 

Experts warn that Kazakhstan's river basin resources will continue to decline.

Water loss in irrigated agriculture currently stands at a staggering 50%. The government aims to reduce this to 25% by 2030. Achieving this goal hinges on investments in modern irrigation equipment. Analysts estimate that solving Kazakhstan’s water challenges will require hundreds of millions of dollars.

According to the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), between 2026 and 2030, Central Asia will need over $2.1 billion to improve irrigation techniques and methods, with Kazakhstan accounting for $515 million of that total. Most of these funds — $370 million — will be spent on purchasing sprinkler systems alone. These investment priorities are expected to continue from 2031 to 2040. Over the next ten years, Kazakhstan is projected to invest almost $2 billion into irrigated agriculture. Energyprom summarizes.

Original Author: NIkita Drobny