Livestock and dairy boom transforms regional agriculture with record growth
Livestock Farming Drives Agricultural Growth in the Region
Livestock breeding has become the primary engine of the region's agricultural sector, now accounting for over 52% of the total agricultural output produced by local farms.
Year after year, industry production figures continue to rise—a trend largely made possible by government support. As Abdirasul Zheleubayev, head of the regional agricultural authority, noted, state-backed measures have enabled livestock farming to expand more rapidly and efficiently. For instance, meat production has increased by 2.4%, while milk output has grown by 1.6%. The region's total cattle population has reached 3.7 million head, marking a 2.7% rise.
The regional agricultural chief also highlighted systematic efforts to develop pedigree livestock farming. The region is now home to more than 52,000 head of pedigree cattle, raised across 59 specialized farms. Meanwhile, 359 smallholdings are engaged in breeding pedigree sheep, with their combined flock exceeding 792,000 head.
Currently, the region operates nine industrial-scale fattening facilities for cattle, each with a capacity ranging from 1,000 to 7,000 head, as well as two sites capable of fattening 5,000 sheep at a time. Leading smallholdings in this sector include Medet in Korday District and Olzha in Merkensky District.
"Within the meat cluster, two major enterprises are operational—the Merkensky Meat Processing Plant and Pervomayskiye Delikatesy, a Korday-based company—that together process up to 300 head of small livestock and 50 head of cattle daily," Zheleubayev said.
According to the regional agricultural head, poultry farming is also thriving in the area. Two large poultry farms currently operate in the region: Mulliye-Ata Phoenix LLP and Abel-Agro JSC.
The latter stands as one of the republic's leading poultry processing enterprises. Operating a full production cycle—from incubation and broiler rearing to poultry meat production—the facility employs around 1,500 people. By the end of 2028, management plans to boost output to 75,000 tons of chicken meat annually, with an estimated investment of 50 billion tenge.
The regional agricultural authority reports that 55 dairy farms are active in the area, including a large-scale facility in Korday District owned by Kakpatas Korday LLP, which houses 600 dairy cows.
Thanks to government support, the number of dairy farms has grown from 37 to 55 over the past three years, with their entire output supplied to local processing plants.
Over the past three years, 1.2 billion tenge has been allocated to develop this sector, bringing the number of dairy processing plants to 28. The potential in this industry remains substantial—currently, production capacities are operating at just 78 percent, concluded the head of the regional agricultural authority.
