Toqayev Orders Akimats to Put Returned Pastures Into Use by Mid-2026

Over the past three years, 14 million hectares of pastureland have been returned to state ownership, but the next challenge is ensuring they are actually put to use, Orda.kz reports.

President Qasym-Jomart Toqayev criticized akimats for slow progress and urged them to stop “keeping land on paper.” Those who fail to develop pastures will lose them.

Speaking at the second Forum of Agricultural Workers in Uzbekistan, Toqayev reiterated that agricultural land must be allocated only to those prepared to work it — local residents and investors with concrete plans.

It has been repeatedly emphasized that land plots must be provided to citizens who are able to work and willing to engage in business. However, this important work is progressing extremely slowly. Therefore, in my address, I ordered that all lands returned to the state be put into permanent use by the middle of next year. The akimats' plans on this matter should not remain on paper. The main thing is to prevent land from falling idle and remaining undeveloped again.

The government is developing a new livestock support plan that will outline how pastureland should be allocated and managed. It is expected to be approved in mid-2026.

Toqayev pointed to the low collateral value of land as a persistent problem, saying the current cadastral valuation “completely fails to correspond” to actual market conditions.

The government has been instructed to revise the valuation methodology. He also reminded officials of the order to create a unified digital map of land resources:

Existing barriers in land relations are hindering the creation of modern farms. In my address, I instructed the government to develop a unified digital map of land resources by the end of next year. The relevant ministries must submit a progress report on this important issue within seven days.

Toqayev stressed that land allocation should move entirely to electronic tenders and that all processes must be transparent.

According to him, the current oversight system does not ensure the timely return of unused land.

Original Author: Alina Pak