The regional investment picture in Kazakhstan’s agro-industrial sector became noticeably more seasonal in the first four months of 2026. At the beginning of the year, investment activity was more concentrated in food processing, but by April agriculture had regained the lead. Out of KZT 495.3 billion invested in the agro-industrial sector, KZT 291 billion went into agriculture, KZT 161.6 billion into food production, and KZT 42.7 billion into beverage manufacturing. As many regions entered the active phase of the farming season, primary agricultural production naturally began catching up with processing industries.
Compared with January-February, the top five regions remained largely unchanged. Zhambyl, Almaty, Pavlodar, North Kazakhstan, and Turkestan regions continued to attract the largest volumes of investment in the agro-industrial sector. Most of the changes begin from sixth place onward, where seasonal acceleration in some agricultural regions, weaker activity in western Kazakhstan, and the continued lag of major cities become more visible.
1. The clear leader is Zhambyl Region with KZT 96.1 billion.As before, however, this is not a traditional agriculture story. Almost the entire amount came from food production, which accounted for KZT 92.8 billion. Agriculture itself received only KZT 2.4 billion. In other words, the region’s leadership is driven not by farming or livestock production, but by a large food processing project. Most likely, the key contributor is the corn deep-processing project being developed by China’s Fufeng Group.
2. Almaty Region ranks second with KZT 72.7 billion and remains one of the most balanced centers for agro-industrial investment. Agriculture attracted KZT 15.3 billion, food production received KZT 19.8 billion, but the biggest focus was beverage manufacturing, which accounted for KZT 37.6 billion. The region remains Kazakhstan’s main investment hub for beverages, likely reflecting the active construction phase of the Carlsberg Kazakhstan plant.
3. Pavlodar Region holds third place with KZT 64.3 billion.Unlike Zhambyl and Almaty regions, almost all investment here is directed toward agriculture, which received KZT 63.1 billion. Processing industries still play a very limited role, with food production attracting KZT 1.2 billion and beverage production receiving no investment at all.
Within agriculture, KZT 35 billion was invested in mixed farming operations and KZT 13.9 billion in livestock production. In fact, most agricultural investment is concentrated in the livestock segment. KZT 35 billion went into mixed farming projects, while another KZT 13.9 billion was directed specifically toward livestock production. This suggests that the “Turnkey Family Farm” program implemented through the Pavlodar Social and Entrepreneurial Corporation may have entered a more active phase.
4. North Kazakhstan Region ranks fourth with KZT 61.5 billion. Agriculture remains the dominant sector, attracting KZT 50.4 billion, but food production also made a meaningful contribution with KZT 11.1 billion. The structure of agricultural investment is more balanced than in Pavlodar. Crop production received KZT 28.8 billion, while livestock production attracted KZT 17.9 billion. This is a more natural model for the region – a strong agricultural base combined with gradual movement toward processing industries.
5. Turkestan Region rounds out the top five with KZT 56.4 billion. Agriculture accounts for the largest share of investment at KZT 45.3 billion. Within the sector, the focus is tilted toward livestock production, which attracted KZT 24.6 billion, while crop production received KZT 18.1 billion. Another KZT 10.8 billion was invested in food production. For a southern region, this is a logical structure – seasonal farming, livestock production, and gradual expansion of fruit, vegetable, and agricultural processing.
The second tier consists of Akmola, Kostanay, and Karaganda regions. Here, investment is still heavily concentrated in agriculture. In Akmola Region, KZT 26 billion out of KZT 27.7 billion went into agriculture. In Kostanay Region, the figure was KZT 20.8 billion out of KZT 26.5 billion, while in Karaganda Region it was KZT 19.3 billion out of KZT 21.6 billion. In other words, agro-industrial investment in these regions is still focused more on primary production than on deep processing.
Starting from ninth place, regional investment in the agro-industrial sector falls below KZT 10 billion. This is an important dividing line in the ranking. After the leading regions and the second tier comes a group of regions with relatively weak investment activity. Some are only beginning to enter the active agricultural season, some have a limited farming base, and others have yet to launch major processing projects.
The gap between the top eight regions and the rest of the country is significant. Agro-industrial investment remains concentrated in a relatively small number of regions, while much of Kazakhstan remains on the sidelines of the current investment cycle.
The key takeaway from January-April is clear: the top five regions have already established themselves as the core of Kazakhstan’s agro-industrial investment landscape. Zhambyl is driven by food processing, Almaty Region by beverages and food production, Pavlodar by livestock development, North Kazakhstan by a balanced combination of agriculture and processing, and Turkestan by seasonal farming and livestock production.
Beyond the top eight, however, investment levels drop sharply, with most regions failing to attract even KZT 10 billion. This suggests that agro-industrial investment is not yet spreading evenly across the country. Instead, it remains concentrated around a handful of strong regions, large-scale projects, and seasonal growth in primary agricultural production.
National Bureau of Economic Research specifically for EconomyKZ.org
