Prospects of horticulture in Kazakhstan
In the late nineties and early 2000s, Kazakhstan saw a sharp reduction in the area of orchards and vineyards, which reached a critical point. PhD in agricultural sciences Serghey Oleichenko speaks about current prospects of horticulture in Kazakhstan with Kazakh agrarian magazine “Agrarny sector”.
Trasfer to "Euro-model" horticulture
After the implementation of the state support program for horticulture, there was an increase in the planting of orchards; however, the effectiveness of these measures was reduced due to weak oversight and irrational selection of varieties and planting areas. A particularly vivid example of failures was the mass planting of the Aport apple variety, which did not meet expectations.
At the same time, some farmers began to apply modern "Euro-model" intensive horticulture technologies using European varieties and methods. It should be noted that seedlings for planting began to be imported from foreign countries. At first, these were Turkey, Serbia and Poland, then the range of producing countries expanded and supplies came from leading nurseries in Western Europe - Mazzoni and Nishler (Italy), Carolus (Belgium), Van Montfort (Netherlands) and others. However, due to errors in site selection, unsuitable soils and climate, as well as diseases and poor planting material, a significant portion of the orchards died or showed low yields.
Special attention was given to the shortcomings of the rootstocks used — the traditional dwarf rootstock M9 proved insufficiently adapted to Kazakhstan’s harsh continental climate and alkaline soils.
New approach
The scientific community proposes an alternative approach: the development of locally adaptive seedlings based on the native Sivers apple, which would allow for more resilient, healthy, and economical orchards. In 2023, experiments began at the Issyk Dendrological Park to create such seedlings, with plans for industrial production by 2028.
In 2024, a sufficient amount of seeds was harvested, and part of them has already been sown in the soil in the first field of the nursery, while the rest were planted in a greenhouse to produce rootstocks with a closed root system. It is planned to obtain 3,500 seedlings in the spring of next year and about 10,000 by spring 2027. These will be planted on 13 hectares of experimental-demonstration orchards with a spacing scheme of 4 by 2.5 meters. Farmers from Almaty are already awaiting larger batches of these seedlings, and the Dendrological Park plans to increase their production to reach industrial volumes by 2028. These seedlings are expected to surpass Turkish, Italian, Dutch, and other imported varieties in quality.
Similar approaches are planned for other crops — pears, plums, apricots. Particular importance is given to establishing regional orchards that take into account climatic and soil characteristics. An important prospective region for horticulture is named as Aktau, which has a subtropical climate suitable for growing many valuable stone fruit and nut tree varieties, as well as unprotected grapevines. It is only necessary to improve soil fertility by reducing salinity and to adequately supply the newly established orchards with irrigation moisture. Then we can talk about the best horticultural cluster in Kazakhstan. This program is significantly more relevant than another revival of the Aport.
Conclusions
To revive the industry, it is necessary to combine traditional local knowledge (in particular, the use of the Sivers apple rootstock) with modern agrotechnologies and breeding. Science is actively working on creating adaptive and resilient varieties and rootstocks, which gives real hope for the sustainable development of horticulture in Kazakhstan.
It is also important to develop infrastructure, improve oversight of subsidy usage, and take local environmental conditions into account.
Overall, the development of Kazakhstani horticulture requires a comprehensive approach that combines advanced technologies with consideration of local natural conditions, as well as the creation of high-quality planting material with strong resistance to climatic and disease-related factors.
Author: Nikolay Zhorov
Magazine: “Agrarny sector”No.1(63) April-May 2025