Kazakhstan to Build High-End Factory of Irrigation Systems

Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Askar Mamin has held online negotiations with Stephen Kaniewski from Valmont Industries, the prime minister’s press service reports.

Both sides have discussed a wide range of issues that relate to cooperation in livestock raising, selection, seed production, drip and rain irrigation, agricultural science and education.

As a result of negotiations between Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Kazakhstani Kusto Group company and Valmont Industries from the U.S., the investments agreement has been signed.

According to the document, a network of demonstrational farms, as well as a high-end irrigation systems plant, will be built in Kazakhstan. The new plant should produce one thousand Valley Irrigation machines by Valmont Industries for the center pivot and linear irrigation.

As the Kazakhstani authorities are expecting, the network of demonstrational farms will provide a technology transfer in the field of irrigation, water-saving, and feed production. Moreover, this initiative might be help provide training to farmers and prepare qualified agricultural workers.

According to information by Valmont, its Valley Irrigation technologies can significantly increase the efficiency of growing crops while reducing water consumption by 50-70%.

Currently, Valmont Industries is the worldwide leader in precision irrigation. It also provides high-end solutions for conserving water. For example, the company produces sophisticated irrigation systems. The company was established in 1946 with headquarters in Omaha, in the state of Nebraska. The annual sales of the Valmont Industries are more than $2.6 billion.

According to Askar Mamin, agriculture is one of the most important and fast-growing sectors of the national economy. As the UN Food and Agricultural Organization data shows, Kazakhstan is among the top five countries with the highest potential in food production.

«In 2020 we achieved sustainable growth by 5.6%. This is the highest rate for several years. Therefore, the agricultural sector became a key factor in preventing inflation from growing amid the continuous troubles in global food supply chains,» he said.

Earlier, the head of the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources Magzum Mirzagaliyev noted that Kazakhstan has been in a period of shallowness for three years. The total river runoff in Kazakhstan in 2019 was 83 cubic kilometers, 20% less than the multi-year rate on average. And 97% of the water extraction occurs in just four regions in the South of Kazakhstan.