Kazakhstan’s First Agro Techno-Park Opens in Astana

Kazakhstan’s first agro techno-park has begun operations in Astana, creating a new infrastructure platform for the development and implementation of high-tech solutions in the agro-industrial complex (AIC). The project was launched at Saken Seifullin Kazakh Agrotechnical Research University and is aimed at supporting innovation in the Akmola region, one of the country’s key grain-producing areas. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the agro techno-park will serve as a hub for business incubation, startup support, and the piloting of modern agricultural technologies, with their subsequent introduction into Kazakhstan’s agribusiness sector. The agro techno-park covers approximately 1,000 square meters. Its facilities include a production and engineering unit with a metalworking workshop for experimental and pilot projects, office space for resident companies, and a full-cycle laboratory complex. The site also houses the Kazakh-Australian Innovation Center for Molecular and Genetic Research on Agricultural Crops, as well as laboratories dedicated to agro-biotechnology and microbiology, physical and chemical analysis, and analytical research. “Today, it is extremely important that scientific solutions do not remain within the walls of laboratories but reach agricultural producers and deliver tangible economic results. The agro techno-park should become a link between scientists and agribusiness,” Agriculture Minister Aidarbek Saparov said during his visit to the new facility. University Rector Kanat Tireuov said the agro techno-park lays the foundation for a new culture of technological entrepreneurship in the agro-industrial sector, supports the training of a new generation of specialists, and helps attract investment into applied scientific research. Its activities are expected to accelerate the market introduction of new crop varieties and hybrids, biological products, and engineering solutions, increase the sustainability of agricultural production, and strengthen the sector’s export potential. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that Kazakhstan significantly increased its exports of processed, high-tech agricultural products last year.