Kazakhstan restarts subsidy program for imported agricultural equipment

ASTANA. Feb 27 (Interfax) - Kazakhstan's Agriculture Ministry is restarting subsidies on March 1 for farmers who purchased imported agricultural equipment before May 25, 2024.

"The subsidies will cover 15% of the costs for a wide range of machinery, including seed drills, plows, harrows, cultivators, harvesters, balers, and mowers," it said.

The subsidy program applies to the equipment already purchased, providing financial relief to farmers who have invested in modernizing their operations. In addition to traditional farming equipment, the program will also support the purchase of mobile grain dryers, drones used for crop pest control, and mounted and trailed fan sprayers.

Furthermore, regional administrations will allocate local budget funds to finance fencing projects aimed at preventing land encroachment by saigas.

The subsidy program has been expanded to include equipment for producing dry milk and/or whey. Reimbursement rates for the establishment and expansion of sugar plants have been increased from 25% to 40%. Similarly, support for establishing and expanding poultry breeding farms for egg and meat production has been raised from 25% to 40%, with the goal of ensuring a sufficient supply of day-old chicks.

To streamline the application process, the requirement to present an invoice has been waived for farmers applying for subsidies involving leased agricultural machinery and equipment.