EkoNiva has taken part in the KazAgro/KazFarm 2025 international agricultural trade show in Astana for the ninth time. The Group has once again confirmed its status as a key partner for Kazakhstan’s farming sector, this time with a clear demonstration of its shift from standard seed supply to integrated cooperation.

Focus on sustainability and genetics

The Kazakh agribusiness in 2025 continues to show strong demand for advanced farming technologies, digital solutions and highly productive seeds with robust genetics capable of withstanding weather anomalies.

Among the current market trends is demand diversification: alongside conventional spring crops, local farmers are showing increasing interest in soya beans, peas and winter wheat as tools for crop rotation and risk management. Besides, the market has moved decisively away from the ordinary purchase of seeds to comprehensive solutions: a combination of genetics, technology and ongoing agronomic support. A flexible approach and expert consultation have become main factors in the selection of suppliers.

Commercial success and portfolio expansion

Kazakhstan has been one of key export markets for EkoNiva’s plant breeding and seed growing subdivision for over a decade. The KazAgro/KazFarm trade show remains the central meeting point for the company and its local partners. To date, seeds from the Group’s portfolio are successfully cultivated in eleven regions across the country, which is now supported by official recognition. This year, several crops from EkoNiva’s commercial lineup have been entered into the State Register of Plant Breeding Achievements of Kazakhstan, including peas, spring barley and wheat, as well as five in-house developed varieties – one winter wheat and four soya bean ones.

‘The market of Kazakhstan is easy for us to make sense of due to similar climatic conditions’, says Yevgeniy Kucheryavenko, Executive Director of EkoNiva’s Plant Breeding and Seed Growing Subdivision. ‘Years of collaboration have given us a good insight into what local farmers need. Recent climate challenges have accelerated qualitative transformation in Kazakhstan’s agricultural sector. The priority has shifted from maximum yields under ideal conditions to consistency and loss minimisation under stress. This is exactly what EkoNiva offers – modern, genetically resilient, climate-adapted varieties backed by agronomic support.’

The participation in the trade show also provides EkoNiva with an excellent opportunity for strategic analysis based on the feedback collected and experience exchange. The company relies on not just a one-sided sales channel but a full-fledged partnership where both parties strive to achieve the best possible outcome.

Reaching the strategic level: participating in a business mission

EkoNiva’s industry expertise was further acknowledged by the invitation of its specialists to speak at the first Russian-Kazakh agribusiness mission organised by the Russian Ministry of Agriculture in cooperation with the Agroexport Federal State Budgetary Institution.

Vitaliy Voloshchenko, Director of EkoNiva Group’s Plant Breeding and Variety Maintenance Centre, took part in a roundtable discussion ‘Partnership in Agronomy: Experience and Prospects for Plant Breeding and Seed Production in Russia and Kazakhstan’.

Looking to the future: cooperation in science and education

Outlining the company’s strategic priorities, Vitaliy Voloshchenko confirmed that EkoNiva’s focus in Kazakhstan will remain on the breeding of spring and winter wheat alongside the promotion of its in-house varieties of soya beans, lentils, flax and forage grasses.

‘I believe it is essential for us to collaborate with Kazakh research centres, particularly in the exchange of genetic resources. We highly value the feedback from our clients regarding the agronomic and economic performance of the new varieties’, says Vitaliy Voloshchenko.

One of the most tangible outcomes of the business mission was a formal agreement on educational cooperation. An arrangement was also signed with the Research and Training Centre of the Republic of Kazakhstan to establish cross-exchange internships for students and specialists. The initiative will be implemented within EkoNiva’s Volga subdivision as part of the company’s existing partnership agreement with Kazan State Agricultural University.

EkoNiva’s participation in KazAgro/KazFarm marked a clear evolution from transactional sales to deep, integrated cooperation grounded in science, practice and education.