ASTANA, Kazakhstan, April 9. International company Valmont Industries, headquartered in the U.S., intends to implement a project to localize the production of Valley irrigation machines in Kazakhstan, Trend reports via the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan.
The initiative was discussed during a meeting between Kazakhstan’s Minister of Agriculture, Aidarbek Saparov, and the company’s Regional Vice President for Eurasia and Latin America, Philipp Schmidt-Holtzman.
Saparov emphasized that the development of irrigated agriculture is one of the key priorities of the state’s agricultural policy. According to him, the president has set a target to annually introduce water-saving technologies on up to 150,000 hectares. This measure is aimed at modernizing agriculture, improving water resource efficiency, and expanding irrigated land.
He noted that Kazakhstan is interested in projects to increase irrigated areas, including with the involvement of foreign investment, adding that the proposed project is of great importance for the development of the agricultural sector. Its implementation is expected to enhance the sector’s resilience to climate risks and ensure higher crop yields.
For his part, Schmidt-Holtzman highlighted the strong potential of the Central Asian market for the introduction of modern irrigation solutions. He noted that cooperation with local industrial partners would help ensure the effective implementation of the project.
During the meeting, the parties discussed issues related to the implementation of the investment project. Imstalcon JSC is expected to act as the Kazakh partner.
Several regions are being considered as potential sites for production facilities, including Karaganda Region, East Kazakhstan Region, Pavlodar Region, Almaty Region, and Turkistan Region, where the company already has production capacities.
The project is expected to have a capacity of 300–500 sprinkler irrigation machines per year, with total investments estimated at $17 million.
The launch of local production is expected to become an important step in the development of Kazakhstan’s agro-industrial complex, increase farmers’ access to modern technologies, and contribute significantly to the efficient use of water resources.