Kazakhstan's Baimen LLP scales apple production to 2,000 tons in 2024
Apple Orchards Bloom in the Foothills of the Zailiysky Alatau, Drawing Tourists and Boosting Local Agriculture
Every April, the picturesque foothills of the Zailiysky Alatau mountains burst into color as apple orchards begin to bloom. This stunning natural spectacle draws crowds of tourists to the region's fruit farms.
Yet cultivating apple trees is no simple task. Farmers say planting saplings is only half the battle—transforming a plot of young trees into a fruitful orchard demands specialized knowledge and skills. At Baimen LLP, a farm in the Talgar District, the entire production cycle is managed in-house, from growing apples to processing them into finished goods.
In 2016, the farm established a small intensive orchard. Over time, its area expanded, and today, fruit trees cover a vast 110 hectares. Growers use drip irrigation, mineral fertilizers, and pesticides, while modern agricultural technologies enable early harvests, prevent soil erosion, and reduce the risk of weeds and disease.
According to Georgy Chernyshev, the farm's chief agronomist, the orchards cultivate popular apple varieties adapted to the local climate—Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Gala, and Fuji. The saplings begin bearing fruit just two to three years after planting, a key advantage of intensive orchards.
The farm has installed an automated line for sorting, grading, and packaging apples, along with a fruit storage facility capable of holding up to 5,000 tons.
Producers have also launched apple juice production—six kilograms of apples yield three liters of juice. Double pasteurization preserves the product's nutritional benefits without the need for preservatives. Additionally, construction is underway for a new production facility to manufacture purée, jam, smoothies, and baby food.
"Currently, we are focused on planting and tending to saplings," said Yevgeny Kambarov, director of Baimen LLP. "We harvest in August, supplying both the domestic market and international buyers. Last year, we gathered 1,500 tons of apples, and this year, we aim to increase that to 2,000 tons."
Farmers regularly update their machinery fleet, which includes tractors, cultivators, sprayers, and tree-pruning equipment. While saplings are imported from the Netherlands and Italy, plans are in place to plant seeds from local nurseries across 30 hectares. The enterprise employs over 100 people year-round, with seasonal work expanding during harvest time.
According to the Almaty Region Akimat (local administration), the region's apple orchards now cover 7,000 hectares, including 2,200 hectares of intensive plantations—a figure that grows each year.
Over the next three years, plans call for planting 110 hectares of Aport apple orchards on lands managed by the Talgar branch of KazNII Fruit and Vegetable Growing LLP, the Baiserke-Agro company, and the Kazakh National Agrarian Research University. The first harvests are expected in seven to eight years.
