by PressReduction of soybean production in Kazakhstan: why local farmers refuse to grow oilseeds
What factors influence the decline in soybean production
According to the relevant ministry, there is a decrease in the production of soybeans in Kazakhstan. Local farmers say the reason for this is a decrease in crop yields.
As noted by farmers, in the last few years, the productivity of soybeans fell from 23 to 10-12 quintals per hectare. The decrease is particularly acute in the southern regions of the country. Official sources, however, speak of different statistics and deny all the statements about yield reduction. The data do not coincide with the size of the sown areas. Farmers themselves give figures of 15-20 thousand hectares planted with oilseeds, while the State Bureau publishes data on 30 thousand hectares planted with soybeans.
According to Kazakh farmers, there are several reasons for the decline in soybean yields. The key one is a lack of water, which has caused many producers to go bankrupt. In addition, irrigation systems are almost non-functional in the country, as a result, farmers have to irrigate by hand. This takes quite a lot of time and manpower, given that the soil is stony and the moisture evaporates quickly. And if before the pandemic, the fields were mostly worked by emigrants from Uzbekistan, their number has sharply decreased due to the closure of the borders. As a result, farmers do not always have time to irrigate all areas in time, which reduces the quality and quantity of crops.
The situation is aggravated by high water tariffs. After the repair of canals in several regions, the cost of irrigation has increased by almost 90%, and not all farmers can afford such a service. Farmers expect that this season the water problem will become even more critical and require the government to introduce preferential programs for drip irrigation.
Another factor affecting soybean yields is the poor quality of parasite and weed control chemicals. Farmers point out that quite often the field treatment does not produce the desired result, and a large number of pests prevents the crop from developing to its full potential.
It is important to follow crop rotation rules for high yields, but not all farmers adhere to this principle. Growing only soybeans over a long time depletes the land, which affects production volumes and soil quality. Therefore, the same field needs to alternate the cultivation of soybeans with other cereal crops.
The impact of drought reduces the quality characteristics of soybeans. As a consequence — limited seed stock and the purchase of seeds from foreign suppliers for many farmers are not available. Therefore, more and more agrarians from Kazakhstan are reorienting production to other crops, although from the point of view of profitability soy is still attractive. However, even the fact of high prices does not encourage farmers to increase sowing oilseeds. In conjunction with unfavorable weather forecasts, we should not expect a high yield of soybeans.