Kazakhstan plans to increase the area using water-saving technologies to 1.3 million hectares by 2030. This will save up to 2.2 billion cubic meters of irrigation water per year. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Vice Minister of Agriculture Nazgul Khatepova spoke about the country's plans at an agricultural exhibition in China, the Ministry of Agriculture reported.
Current situation
Today, 1.6 million hectares of agricultural land are irrigated in Kazakhstan. Water-saving technologies are used on 702,300 hectares, or 44% of the total area. According to the ministry, in 2025 modern irrigation systems saved 874 million cubic meters of water.
Government support
To support farmers, the state increased compensation for the purchase and installation of water-saving equipment from 60% to 80%. Subsidies for the cost of irrigation water when using such systems increased from 50% to 85%.
214.6 billion tenge is allocated for the introduction of water-saving technologies in 2026–2028.
International cooperation
Speaking at a round table of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in China's Shaanxi province, Khatepova proposed creating a common platform for exchanging water-saving technologies. Countries will be able to jointly test new irrigation systems, exchange scientific developments and train specialists.
"It is important that our cooperation is focused on concrete results that are in demand directly by farmers," the vice minister emphasized.
Previously reported
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that agriculture accounts for about 60% of the country's water consumption. In 2026, the authorities planned to introduce water-saving technologies on another 163,000 hectares.
In June, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov instructed to strengthen control over irrigation water consumption. The reason was the growth of water consumption in Turkestan and Kyzylorda regions due to violations of crop structure.
Amid the risk of water shortage, the authorities also recommended that farmers reduce the area of moisture-loving crops and switch to more economical irrigation methods.