Kazakh Government to revise cropping structure amid projected water shortage in southern regions
Irrigation water shortage in the country’s south may reach 1 billion m³ in the upcoming cropping season, Qazinform News Agency quotes Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev as saying at the Government’s weekly meeting today.
He said that on December 4-5, he held meetings in the Kyzylorda, Turkistan, and Zhambyl regions with the participation of the representatives of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, the Ministry of Agriculture, water supply organizations and farmers.
“All three regions remain in a prolonged low-water period,” said Bozumbayev.
According to him, inflow into the Shardara Reservoir has dropped by 43%, while reserves in major reservoirs of the Naryn-Syrdarya Cascade are down by 3.8 billion m³ compared to last year.
Bozumbayev noted that water reserves in the Zhambyl region remain low, with reservoirs filled to only 41%. He warned of the risk that the Kirov and Teris-Ashchybulak reservoirs may not reach their design capacity this season.
In view of that, the Government announced the launch of tough water regulation measures to ensure a stable irrigation period.
To mitigate risks, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation will soon set strict limits on water use. Farmers will be advised to shift to less water-intensive crops, while regions will allocate land plots to test innovative moisture-retaining technologies.
Bozumbayev emphasized that the projected water inflow during the 2026 cropping period is estimated at 1-1.5 billion m³. He urged local administrations to intensify outreach efforts among farmers, to switch to more resilient crops.
“In 2025 several regions failed to reduce the cultivation of water-demanding crops. Before the start of the vegetation period, regional akimats should carry out explanatory work among farmers on the need to switch to less water-intensive crops,” said Bozumbayev.
Nevertheless, he pointed out a positive dynamics in water-saving efforts: the area of croplands using water-saving technologies has exceeded 543.5 thousand hectares, with an annual increase of about 150 thousand hectares. Government support has been significantly strengthened – with 228.1 billion tenge envisaged in the 2026-2028 budget for this purpose, including 214.6 billion tenge as investment subsidies.
The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources were entrusted with setting water use limits and approving a cropping plan for the upcoming vegetation period, taking into account the projected inflow volume.
Amid changing weather conditions in Central Asia, the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation was instructed to submit updated water consumption limits for all regions to the Ministry of Agriculture by February 1, 2026, taking into account the most pessimistic scenario of inflow.
By March 1, 2026, the Ministry of Agriculture must adjust the structure of water-intensive crops, in line with the approved water use limit.
Regional administrations were tasked to launch outreach efforts among the farmers on the need to reduce cultivating water-intensive crops and shift to more resilient crops, to allocate at least 100 hectares of land plots in order to test innovative water-saving technologies, as well as to provide funding from the local budgets.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that two new water reservoirs will be built in the West Kazakhstan region.
