Kazakhstan has entered the commercial blueberry market with its first large-scale plantation near Almaty. Fruit Art, a local company specializing in fruits like strawberries and apples, planted 240,000 blueberry bushes in 2024 on a 55-hectare plot. The farm expects to harvest over 700 tonnes of berries annually once the plants reach peak yield in 2027–2028.
"Blueberries are a challenging crop for this region, but we've developed a formula for success," said Boris Sharipov, deputy director of Fruit Art. "We're currently the only producer growing blueberries on an industrial scale in Kazakhstan."
Blueberries are grown in pots with a special substrate, not in open soil. The farm uses drip irrigation with pH-adjusted water and installs hail nets during spring and summer. Due to the country's harsh winters, maintaining the plants through cold weather remains a challenge. Mechanical harvesters will be used to collect the crop.
The company sees strong market potential. "Blueberries are hypoallergenic, popular in healthy diets, and have a longer shelf life than raspberries or blackberries," Sharipov added. "Demand is growing both regionally and worldwide."
In 2021, FAO agricultural economist Andriy Yarmak noted that blueberry farming could become a promising agribusiness in Central Asia, a prediction that Kazakhstan now seems ready to fulfil.
Source: kz.kursiv.media
