ISSN 0798 1015

Vol. 38 (Nº 24) Año 2017. Pág. 39

Sugar beet production in the Republic of Kazakhstan

Producción de remolacha azucarera en la República de Kazajstán

Aigul ERSEITOVA 1; Diana MURATOVA 2; Leila SARIKULOVA 3; Laura SARIKULOVA 4; Aigul MOLDABEKOVA 5; Altynay MOLDASHEVA 6, Dariya ATASHEVA 7

Recibido: 15/05/2017 • Aprobado: 17/05/2017

The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N.A. Nazarbayev in his Address to the People of Kazakhstan “Through Crisis to Renewal and Development” noted that ensuring the country's food security is the most important issue, which needs to be addressed (Address of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev to the People of Kazakhstan “Through Crisis to Renewal and Development”, 2009). He once again emphasized the need to develop the country’s own food market in the light of the following Address to the People of Kazakhstan: “The demand for food will increase in the world every year. And we should not miss such an opportunity” (Address of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev to the People of Kazakhstan “Socio-Economic Modernization as Main Vector of Development of Kazakhstan”, 2012). Moreover, an increase in the volume of world food production is projected to reduce by three times in the coming period. According to researchers of the food market, in the 1980s, the average annual increase in the volume of world food production was 30 million tons, in the following 20 years – 12 million tons, and in the period up to 2030, the volume of growth is projected to decrease to 9 million tons (Akhmetova, 2009).

Currently, the problem of food security, which is based on food self-sufficiency, is very acute for the Republic of Kazakhstan. The recommended threshold level of self-sufficiency is that 80% of the consumed products must be of domestic production, its decline has a disruptive effect on the industry and at the level of 40.0% there is complete import dependence.

Among the five main food products, sugar has a priority and strategic importance due to its energy value. It provides 16-20% of a person's daily caloric needs. Consumers of sugar are not only citizens of the republic, but also various branches of the national economy: confectionery, baking, horticultural, canning, chemical, pharmaceutical and liquor. Throughout the world, sugar is included in food baskets, which help access the standard of living of different segments of the population. The special role of this product lies in the fact that it ensures the country's food security. Therefore, sugar is produced even in those places where it is not profitable to produce it, due to the low yield of sugar beet. The governments of these states do not refuse to produce sugar using their own raw materials and replace it with imported products even under the favorable conditions of the world market.

Sugar is one of the necessary food products. Sugar production in the country is carried out mainly from two types of plants – sugar cane and sugar beet. In the southern region of the country, natural conditions allow growing sugar beet, which is the only domestic raw material used for sugar production.

Beet is a moderate climate plant. It is found in the wild condition along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. As a plant, it belongs to the extensive botanical family of the Chenopodiaceae (goosefoot), which includes quinoa, spinach and some other plants. Beet began to be sown about 3 thousand years ago. It was cultivated mainly as a salad plant, i.e. the leaves were used, not the roots. After a long time, it was possible to grow beets with a fleshy root, which became the most valuable part of the plant. Sugar beet was grown by long-term selection from food beet having a conical root form, white skin and pulp. It differs from food beet in a large root weight, higher sugar content and a coarser pulp. Sugar beet is a two-year plant. In the first year, seeds give rise to fleshy roots and leaves without flowers and seeds. In the second year, the overwintered and subsequent spring beetroots give leaves and flower stems 1.5-2.0 m high with flowers and seeds. Sugar is produced from beet only in the first year of development (factory or industrial beet) (Vostokov and Lepeshkin, 2001).

The economic importance of sugar beet is limited not only to the production of sugar. When it is processed for sugar, such waste products as pulp, molasses, tops and defecation mud are obtained. With the proper organization of crop tending and sugar beet harvesting, in Kazakhstan it is possible to ensure the growth of 300 q/ha and more of root crop yield with a sugar content of 15%, which at a 10-11% factory sugar yield will provide 3.0-3.3 tons of pure sugar per 1 ha. The harvesting of the tops at a 300 q/ha root crop yield under irrigation conditions will be 50% or 150 q/ha. The tops are very valuable for livestock. 100 kg of the tops contain 1.5-1.7 kg of digested protein. By harvesting protein and fodder units, the tops of 1 ha of beet crops can yield as much as 1 ha of clover. The tops contain 5-6% of sugar as well as fats, vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc, etc., which increase their fodder merits. The tops are fed to the cattle in a fresh or silageed form. 1 q of the tops contains 18 fodder units. In this case, the yield of fodder is 27 q/ha of fodder units, which is equivalent to the same number of oats or barley. In some cases, the tops may not be collected or fed to the cattle, in this case, they are scattered around the field as a fertilizer to maintain and increase soil fertility (The program of revival of the sugar industry of agriculture in the Zhambyl region "Sugar", 2001).

The yield of pulp when processing root crops is 70-80% of their total volume. At a 300 q/ha root crop yield, 210-240 q of pulp containing 7-8% of fodder units or 15.0 q of fodder units will be obtained. Pulp is a valuable food for livestock, almost equal to concentrated fodders.

Molasses is a by-product of refining beets obtained after removing crystallized sugar from the solution. The molasses yield is 4% or 12 q, which contain 8.4 q of fodder units at the rate of 70% (The program of revival of the sugar industry of agriculture in the Zhambyl region "Sugar", 2001). Molasses is the raw material for the production of lactic, citric and glutamic acids, food yeast, alcohol, glycerin, pectin glue and fodder.

In addition, the next by-product is defecation mud, which is widely used on farms. Defecation mud is a valuable fertilizer, containing lime, necessary for deoxidation of soils. Its application to beet in the norm of 16-25 tons/ha increases the yield of root crops by 2.5-3.5 tons/ha (The program of revival of the sugar industry.., 2001).

Beet tailings and beet breakage are obtained during beet harvesting and when transporting it to sugar beet points. Beet tailings and beet breakage during mechanized harvesting, loading and laying of beets in the kagats constitute approximately 3.0% to the total weight of the whole beet. They contain 8-12% (on average 10%) of sugar. Usually, these wastes are used for livestock feeding.

In general, the total yield of by-products of sugar beet from 1 ha only is more than 50 q of fodder units, which is equivalent to a yield from 3 ha of cereals. In the case of accounting for the cost of all products (main and by-products) of one hectare of sugar beet, it is equivalent to 20 hectares of grain crops (The program of revival of the sugar industry.., 2001).

Thus, sugar beet is an economically advantageous crop in agriculture, and the directions of its use are very diverse. Sugar beet plays the role of sugar, fodder for livestock as well as fertilizer for maintaining soil fertility. With proper care, it successfully competes with crops and potatoes.

In Kazakhstan, for the first time, sugar beet was planted in the 90s of the 19th century, but beet cultivation for various reasons did not take root in the republic, despite satisfactory results. Sowing of sugar beet renewed in the 30s of the 20th century. In 1932, three new districts of the republic – Taldy-Kurgan, Dzhambul and Sverdlovsk – were engaged in industrial sugar beet cultivation, and its crops were 2200 ha. During this period of time, the yield was obtained from 142 to 294 q/ha, sugar content - 19-20%. Simultaneously with the development of the beet-growing economy, the construction of the first sugar factories - Merken, Dzhambul and Taldy-Kurgan - was started. In each of them beet farms were created, which were mechanized and specialized in the cultivation of sugar beet. These state farms played a big role in introducing the sugar beet crop and increasing its yield.

In subsequent years, sugar beet cultivation in Kazakhstan begins to develop rapidly: not only beets but also beet seeds for beet-growing farms are grown. In 1936 all the farms of the republic were provided with seeds. In 1937 the average yield of beet farms reached a record - 451 q/ha. Before the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the area of ​​crops reached 14,500 hectares, the yield was 246 q/ha, and the gross yield was 357,000 tons. The republic's sugar industry fully provided for the population's needs for sugar and exported it to Siberia and the republics of Central Asia (Skugorev, 2003).

The next stage in the development of sugar beet production in the Republic of Kazakhstan fell on the Great Patriotic War. The government of the USSR set up a large sugar beet base in order to compensate for the losses of sugar beet production in Ukraine and Russia as well as to provide the army and the country with sugar. As a result of the measures taken, the area of ​​beet sowing increased from 14,500 ha in 1941 to 46,400 ha in 1942, which made it possible to increase the gross yield by 2.5 times, thus increasing the production capacity of sugar factories and deepening the specialization of sugar beet farms.

After the war was ended, a new decision was made to reduce the beet crop in the republic, and in 1946 the area under cultivation for this crop was 18,000 ha. This decision was due to the need to create better organizational and technical conditions for beet cultivation, contributing to the effective use of land and water resources, by raising the level of agricultural technology, mechanizing production and reconstructing the country's irrigation system.

All the assigned tasks of sugar beet production during this period of time were fulfilled: specialized state farms were organized and existing irrigation networks were reconstructed. As a result, the beet crop areas again began to increase, new beet processing factories were built, and the production capacities of existing factories were expanded. In the middle of the 70s, the cultivation of sugar beet involved not only 145 collective farms and 58 state farms in Almaty and Zhambyl regions, but also the rural residents of South Kazakhstan, Kzylorda, East Kazakhstan and Semipalatinsk regions. In the Republic of Kazakhstan, there were eight sugar factories with a total capacity of 22,500 tons per day. The operation duration of sugar factories on domestic raw materials was 125-150 days, and in some years, it reached 180 or more.

However, in the 80s on many farms of Kazakhstan the yield of sugar beet was reduced due to the impoverishment of the soil, the excessive phosphorus content and acute potassium deficiency, the non-observance of crop rotations, the low quality of seeds, the violation of cultivation technology, the low wages of sugar beet growers, etc. Therefore, on May 4, 1988, the Decree of the State Agroindustrial Committee of the Kazakh SSR adopted the "Comprehensive Program for Sugar Beet Cultivation and Sugar Production for the Period until 1995". This program was designed to improve the industry, i.e. to reduce beet crops to 40,000 hectares, to ensure a gross yield of up to 1,200 tons, to completely eliminate repeated crops, to master crop rotations, to apply fertilizers, and to strictly adhere to cultivation technology (Resolution No. 6 - COM of 4 May 1988).

In the first years after the adoption of the program, work on introducing beet crop rotations was somewhat intensified. Despite the decision taken to optimize the acreage in the early 90s, namely in 1990, crop areas were grown, yields were high and solid volumes of manufactured products were observed. The certain growth of crop areas was due not only to the activities of the adopted "Comprehensive Program", but also to the introduction of a new form of relationship between sugar beet producers and processors on tolling terms in 1989. Tolling mutual payments were made between sugar beet processors and agricultural producers of finished sugar products due to limited financial resources.

However, not all the measures envisaged for the improvement of sugar beet farming were fully implemented, and despite the growth of crop areas, the yield of this crop began to decline, which had an impact on the gross yield of sugar beet (Table 1).

Table 1. Indicators of sugar beet production in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 1990-1994

During this period, crop areas increased from 43.6 thousand ha in 1990 to 85.1 thousand ha in 1992. Then there was a decline to 56.2 thousand ha in 1994. During this period, the yield of beet reduced from 239 q/ha to 77 q/ha (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Sugar beet yield, q/ha

Due to lower yields, the volume of the gross yield of beet also decreased from 1043.7 to 432.7 thousand tons. A large number of factors affected the decline in the yield of sugar beet. This included natural and climatic conditions, the availability of agricultural equipment in economic entities, the possibility of purchasing mineral fertilizers, fuels and lubricants, a seed fund, the availability of qualified personnel, etc.

Therefore, during this period the average age of the stock of tractors and combines in the Republic of Kazakhstan was 13-14 years with a standard operating life of 7-10 years. The coefficient of technical readiness, available equipment did not exceed 0.7, and the load per unit of equipment exceeded the standard by 1.2-1.6 times. In general, the wear and tear of the machine and tractor fleet was 80% and required a complete replacement. From 1994 to 1999, agriculture practically did not receive new equipment (Resolution No. 6 - COM of 4 May 1988).

The yield of sugar beet is also greatly affected by crop rotations. Crop rotations contribute to the control of pests, diseases and weeds as well as the accumulation of moisture and nutrients in the soil. The correct alternation of crops usually within four years between beet crops makes it possible to increase output from a unit area and reduce its cost. However, during this period beets were sown in a haphazard manner and in most cases without observance of crop rotations. In this case, the practice of permanent sugar beet cultivation for three years reduces its yield by 60-90 q/ha, and during eight years - by 270-360 q/ha (Myrzaliyev, 1986).

In order to obtain a high yield, there is a need for a constant restoration of soil fertility, which is impossible without the introduction of mineral and organic fertilizers (Karnichenko and Pasov, 2001; Sladkikh and Karasev, 2002). For sugar beet, depending on preceding crops and soil type, it is necessary to introduce nitrogen fertilizers (ammonium nitrate or urea) in the amount of 100-120 kg/ha, phosphorus fertilizers (ammonium phosphate, nitroammophos, superphosphate) - 50-60 kg/ha, and potash fertilizers (potassium sulfate) - 100-150 kg/ha. Therefore, according to the research of Zhambyl Agricultural Experimental Station, for the sugar beet yield in the Zhambyl region in the amount of 450-500 q/ha with the corresponding yield of tops, it is necessary to add the following doses of mineral fertilizers for serozem soils with a low NPK supply: 200-220 kg/ha of nitrogen, 180-190 kg/ha of phosphorus, and 110-120 kg/ha of potassium. In the case of an average NPK supply, it is recommended to add 200-220 kg/ha of nitrogen, 150-170 kg/ha of phosphorus, and 80-90 kg/ha of potassium. With a high NPK supply, it is necessary to add 200-220 kg/ha of nitrogen, 150-170 kg/ha of phosphorus, and 60-70 kg/ha of potassium (Nalivayko, 2002). In turn, the introduction of 40 tons of manure per 1 ha of crop area provides 127 to 206 q/ha of additional beet yield, depending on soil types.

In these years, there is a reduction in not only crop areas under which fertilizers were introduced, but also in their quantity per hectare. In 1995, 1 ha of sugar beet crops were supplied with mineral fertilizers (per 100% of nutrients) – 36 kg, organic fertilizers - 0.5 kg, which is much lower than the normative doses of fertilizers (Kovalev, 1997).

The next factor in the growth of crop yields of 30-50% is precisely the share of varieties and the quality of seeds. The Taldykorgan's Branch of the V.R. Williams Scientific and Research Institute of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan and “Kamkorlyk” LLP in the Almaty region produced elite sugar beet seeds, but in small quantities, due to the weak material and technical base. Economic entities mainly planted their fields with substandard seeds of this crop.

The next stage in the development of sugar beet production was marked by the transition of the administrative-command system to the market system of the economy, connected primarily with the reform of relations to property. The state adopted a number of laws and various regulatory and legislative acts, where the fundamentals of property reform and the main ways of their realization were determined (Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On the Peculiarities of Privatization…”, 1992; Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Urgent Measures for Privatization of the Property of State Procurement...”, 1992; The Program of Denationalization and Privatization of State Property.., 1991; Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On the National Program of Denationalization and Privatization…”, 1993; Changes and additions to the current Law "On the Peculiarities of Privatization…”, 1993).

The denationalization of the agrarian sector was carried out in the context of wholesale inflation and rising prices, which sharply worsened the economic condition of agricultural producers. Instead of the dissolved collective and state farms, various types of agricultural enterprises and peasant (farm) businesses were formed. As of April 1, 1997, there were 51,885 economic entities operating in the country's agriculture, including 47,393 peasant farms, 991 business associations, 2,614 production teams, 399 joint-stock companies, 120 various associations, 95 state enterprises, and 273 enterprises, whose status did not match the Civil Code (collective enterprises, collective farms and others) (Bimendiyeva, 1998). Among all economic entities, peasant (farm) businesses occupied the largest share – 91.3%.

It should be noted that almost all peasant (farm) businesses had a weak material and technical base, and the lack of funds did not allow them to fully comply with modern technologies for growing sugar beet. Naturally, this affected the production of beets.

Consider the changes in this industry over the next ten years 1995-2004 (Table 2).

Table 2. Indicators of sugar beet production in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 1995-2004

During the considered period, sugar beet farms experienced a very difficult and complex period. Thus, the analysis of the economy of sugar beet production in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 1995-2004 showed that beet crop areas decreased from 40.8 to 22.3 thousand ha or by 45.7%. However, the yield of beet here increased from 91.0 to 197 q/ha and, accordingly, the gross yield increased from 371 to 397.8 thousand tons. At the same time, it should be noted that during this period there were sharp changes in crop areas, crop yields and gross harvest. Since 1998, the Republic of Kazakhstan has been showing a tendency for a relative increase in crop areas from 17,600 ha to 22,300 ha in 2004, in yields – from 143 q/ha to 197 q/ha in 2004, which in turn affected the growth of the production of this crop from 225.0 to 397.8 thousand tons or by 76.8%. It should be noted that the sharpest changes during this period involved crop areas (Figure 2).

If in 1990 the production of sugar beets was carried out only by state and collective farms, then, since 1995, along with these enterprises, other farms have started to produce sugar beets, namely, agricultural enterprises, peasant farms and households.

Figure 2. Sugar beet crop areas, thousand ha

In 1995, agricultural enterprises accounted for 89.7% of crop area, peasant farms – for 10%, households – for 0.3%. In 2000, when the country observed an expansion of sugar beet crops to 22.5 thousand ha, there was a change in this share in favor of peasant farms. The share of peasant farms accounted for 52% of cultivated crop area, agricultural enterprises – for 39.6% and households – for 8.4%. This ratio persisted in 2002, when the share of peasant farms accounted for 63.1% of crop area, agricultural enterprises – for 29.8%, and households – for 7.1%. In 2003, the share of peasant farms increased even further to 64.9% of those engaged in sugar beet cultivation, and the share of agricultural enterprises grew to 31.0%. This trend persisted in 2004: 68.6% of peasant farms, 26.0% of agricultural enterprises, and 5.4% of households. Thus, during this period, among all the country’s agro-formations, a steady growth of crop areas under sugar beets was peculiar to peasant farms – 1.4 times, and to households – 3.0 times, compared with 1997, when there was a sharp reduction in the acreage for this crop.

It should be noted that during this period there was a decrease in the efficiency of sugar beet production in the republic, which is estimated by the sugar content of root crops, the prime cost of 1 ton of sold products, the selling price in the domestic market per 1 ton, the profitability of production and the production of sugar beet per capita (Table 3).

Table 3. Efficiency of sugar beet production in agricultural enterprises in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 1995-2004

Table 3 shows that the high costs of growing sugar beet at current sales prices make it low-profit or loss-making. Therefore, in the considered period sugar beet production was profitable only in 1999, 2002 and 2003. In 1998, i.e. at the end of reforms in agriculture, losses from sugar beet sales in agricultural enterprises only reached 28.4 million tons, and a loss ratio was 26.2%. During this period, the quality of sugar beet also decreased. The lowest sugar content of root crops was 13.43% and the highest – 14.7%. The production of sugar beet per capita increased from 23.7 to 26.6 kg, or by 12.2%.

In the next decade, the indicators of beet farms also continued to decline (Table 4).

Table 4. Indicators of sugar beet production in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2005-2014

Therefore, crop area decreased from 17.5 to 1.2 thousand ha, or by 16.3 thousand ha. Despite a certain increase in the yield of sugar beet, its gross yield reduced from 310.8 to 23.9 thousand tons, or by 13.4 times.