During a working visit to Kostanay region, Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan Aidarbek Saparov got acquainted with the progress of phytosanitary measures to protect farmland from herd locusts. Together with the regional authorities, an inspection of key facilities involved in pest control was conducted, and preventive measures were discussed with representatives of farms and contractors.

As of today, cultivation is actively underway in five districts of Kostanay region — a total of 322.85 thousand hectares have been covered, which is 49.7% of the planned area. The operations involve 59 units of specialized equipment, including agricultural drones, ultralight aircraft and unmanned aircraft systems. The effectiveness of the drugs used is estimated at 82%.

The Minister inspected the quality of air treatments, assessed the technical equipment and stressed the importance of efficiency at all stages — from monitoring to the application of drugs.

"In Kostanay region, the work is clearly organized: we are on schedule, there are no delays. Our key task is to prevent the spread of pests. This is a systematic work that directly affects the sustainability of agriculture and food security of the country," said Aidarbek Saparov.

Representatives of the farms also confirmed their readiness to complete the treatments on time. According to Saken Berdybaev, head of the Berdybaev peasant farm, even in the absence of a direct threat to crops, it is important to act proactively.:

"Yes, there are locusts, but the foci are isolated. We carry out regular inspections and immediately go out for processing at the first signs of pests. This is a normal working approach," he stressed.

In addition, during the visit, the minister visited facilities implemented under the program for scaling up the experience of the North Kazakhstan region in the field of dairy farming. Three new dairy farms have already been commissioned in the region, and three more projects are in the final stages of construction. Initiatives are being implemented for the deep processing of mare's milk with a focus on export to countries near and far abroad.

Akim of Kostanay region Kumar Aksakalov noted that the region relies on modern agricultural technologies, production discipline and sustainable agricultural development. A systematic approach allows not only to respond promptly to challenges, but also to confidently increase production potential.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/kostanay/press/news/details/1015698?lang=kk