The spring sowing campaign is in
full swing in the Almaty region, with plans to cultivate nearly 500,000
hectares of land with cereals, oilseeds, fodder crops, vegetables, and potatoes
this year. Farmers are now ploughing the fields. Every year at this time,
Rakhat Umirzakov strives to implement modern advancements that yield immediate
results. He has already sown spring barley in one field and plans to plant corn
or perennial grass on another.
“We have big plans that require funding, and we
will proceed regardless of circumstances, just like during the quarantine. We’ve
gone through a lot over the past three years, but we still sowed in our
collective farm. In summer, we always sow, plough, and harvest,” Umirzakov
said.
Last year, government subsidies helped to
renovate tractor components and purchase disc harrows, which contribute to soil
cultivation and oxygenation. Thus, enhanced aeration improves soil
structure. Farm machinery operator Serik Nagyzbayev ploughs up to 25 hectares a
day on a wheeled tractor. Farmers carefully select and test the best seeds, as
well as use individual fertilizer programs.
“From cereal crops, we sow barley. To
date, we have planted 400 hectares, with plans to sow another 200 hectares. In
the Almaty region, grain sowing must be completed by April 25. Otherwise, the
soil will lose moisture, leading to a decrease in its productivity and quality,”
Nagyzbayev noted.
According to farmers, growing one hundredweight
of grains requires about eight millimetres of fertile soil moisture. Thus,
this year boasts a sufficient amount of moisture, which will enable to yield a
grain output of 20-25 hundredweight per hectare.
