Farmers: Azat Kopzhasarov of Zhetysu — from zero to 1,200 head of beef cattle in two years

On November 10, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Agriculture told the story of Azat Kopzhasarov, a young farmer in the Zhetysu region who switched from construction to beef cattle. Today his farm's feedlot holds 1,200 head, and his next step is a full-cycle complex costing 1.2 billion tenge (≈ $2.7 million).

Key figures

• 1,200 head on feed
• Feedlot capacity: 2,200
• 21 permanent jobs
• 360 ha of irrigated land
• Goal: 1,500 t of meat a year

Who he is

Azat Kopzhasarov was born in 1996 in Almaty and graduated with honors from Narxoz University. He started as an HR specialist, then headed a construction company and spent five years on large projects in Turkestan. He brought his experience in managing people and production processes into the new business: in 2025 he founded NAT AGRO LLP, which raises beef cattle in the Zhetysu region.

What they achieved

In two years the farm has reached these figures:

• 1,200 head of cattle in the feedlot, with a design capacity of up to 2,200 head.
• Four breeds: Hereford, Kazakh Whiteheaded, Aulieekol and Aberdeen Angus.
• Land: 9.6 ha for the feedlot, 360 ha of irrigated land and 4,000 ha of pasture.
• 21 permanent jobs for local people.

How it happened

Azat bet on modern beef-cattle technology and on Australian experience in keeping and raising animals. For the past two years he has deliberately studied how the industry works and built his own production model. The next step is an investment project in Aksu district: an integrated full-cycle complex costing 1.2 billion tenge (≈ $2.7 million), covering fattening, slaughter, storage and sale of meat products. The goal is to reach up to 1,500 tonnes of meat a year. The ministry's article does not name any state support programmes.

What you can take away

The story shows that you can come into farming from another industry and grow quickly. What other farms can take from it:

• Grow in steps: first the herd and the feedlot, then processing and sales — this is how added value grows.
• Plan capacity ahead: the feedlot is designed for 2,200 head and holds 1,200 now, so room to grow is already built in.
• The feed base — irrigated fields and pasture — works together with the herd, and putting up feed takes reliable machinery.

Source: Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, November 10, 2026