Harvest Group SA Commits $500m to Agricultural Regeneration in Kazakhstan
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, June 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In one of the largest single private investments into Kazakhstan, Harvest Group SA, through its subsidiary Harvest Agro Holding, has announced an investment of half a billion dollars to develop as much as 300,000 hectares of pastureland across rural Kazakhstan into productive agricultural land. This new initiative is the latest in Harvest's continued efforts to ensure global access to reliable and resilient food systems.
The project was formalised in June 2025 through the signing of an agreement between Yerzhan Elekeev, Director of Harvest Agro Holding, and Daulet Uvashev, Chairman of the Board of NC Kazakh Invest—a joint-stock company established to attract foreign investment and promote sustainable socio-economic development in Kazakhstan. The first phase of the agreement will involve converting 150,000 hectares of remote pastureland into productive, irrigated agricultural land, with plans to double this to up to 300,000 hectares. A central focus of the development will be innovative water usage, including the use of underground sources and advanced water-saving technologies, aimed at enhancing soil productivity sixfold. These directives support both Kazakhstan's national target of increasing irrigated land to 2.5 million hectares by 2030, as well as Harvest Group's commitment to advance sustainable agriculture and enhance international food security.
Continuing Harvest's ongoing commitment to regional economic development, the project is expected to create over 1,000 permanent jobs in rural areas, generating new opportunities for local farmers, technicians, and supply chains. Operations will span southern and eastern Kazakhstan, including the regions of Zhambyl, Almaty, Zhetysu, Turkestan, Pavlodar, Kyzylorda, and East Kazakhstan. Fodder and high value crops, for both export and domestic use, including corn and soybean are planned for cultivation on the newly developed land.
Key project activities will include engineering; geological, and agrochemical surveys; topographical mapping; the design and installation of irrigation and water intake systems; construction of energy and engineering infrastructure; land preparation; and, ultimately, the launch of agricultural production.
This investment builds on Harvest Group SA's recent expansion into the African market, marked by a $12 million investment at the end of 2024 to establish operations in Kenya. The initiative included the development of a distribution hub based at the Port of Mombasa to meet growing demand across the continent. Harvest Group SA, a Swiss-based agri-commodities group was founded in 2015 by Almaz Alsenov, one of Kazakhstan's most successful entrepreneurs. As well as agricultural products, the company also deals in marine and domestic logistics services, storage, loading, processing, pre-export financing, and trade credit.
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