At the beginning of 2023, the then Minister of Agriculture, Yerbol Karashukeyev, stated that over the course of 2022, 5.2 million hectares of agricultural land had been returned to the state. It was also announced that in 2023, a further 5 million hectares of unused agricultural land was planned to be seized.
This work was intended to fulfil the President's instruction to take measures for the rational use of the country's land resources and to reduce the shortage of pastures. The only department directly responsible for this procedure is the Committee for Land Resources Management.
However, we began receiving complaints from various regions, most of which were from the Kostanay Region, concerning the fact that land was being seized from small and medium-sized farms, whereas the measures were originally intended to target the territories of latifundists (large landowners).
The editorial board of FBRK decided to study in more detail the dynamics of changes in the areas of the largest landowners in the regions, as well as the reputation of these farmers, and began the analysis with a region not known primarily for grain growing – the Pavlodar Region.
LLP «AGROFIRM «AQZHAR ONDIRIS»
Thus, the largest owner of agricultural land in the Pavlodar Region as of 2023 is LLP Agrofirm «Aqzhar Ondiris» (production of meat products and meat of agricultural poultry). The company has been registered since 2013. The first head of the LLP is Gulzira Kazylova, and the founder is Aitmukhambet Kozhabekov.
Kazylova also owns LLP «Credit Partnership «Shygan». Aitmukhambet Kozhabekov appears in companies such as LLP «Credit Partnership «Shygan», LLP «Pavlodartas», ALE Association «Agromashservice», LLP «STK PV», LLP «Kazalken», Public Foundation «Olzhabay Batyr Kory».
LLP Agrofirm «Aqzhar Ondiris» has a high degree of risk regarding tax obligations. For 2023, the agrofirm has already paid approximately 3.6 million tenge in taxes (in 2022 – 4.6 million tenge, in 2021 – 3.2 million tenge, in 2020 – 3.2 million tenge).
LLP Agrofirm «Aqzhar Ondiris» has more than 40 government contracts, the largest being in 2016-2017 with the «Specialised Boarding School-College of Olympic Reserve» of the Department of Physical Culture and Sports of the Pavlodar Region for the supply of horse meat totalling approximately 9 million tenge.
Regarding the LLP's court cases, in 2016 the State Institution «Department of Land Relations and Inspection for the Pavlodar Region» filed a lawsuit against LLP Agrofirm «Aqzhar-Ondiris» for compulsory seizure of a land plot, due to the fact that during an inspection in 2013, it was found that the LLP was not using pasture land plots for their intended purpose on almost 3 thousand hectares.
An order was issued to rectify this violation within a year, but Agrofirm «Aqzhar-Ondiris» did not take measures to use the land plot for its intended purpose within the specified period. Despite this, the Specialised Inter-District Economic Court of the Pavlodar Region refused the claim for seizure, citing insufficient evidence from the state body of misuse of the land.
Furthermore, in 2019, LLP Agrofirm «Aqzhar-Ondiris» was brought to administrative responsibility in the form of a fine totalling 2.9 million tenge for transporting kumis abroad without the relevant documents certified by a seal.
Also, from Russian media it became known that in 2020, specialists from the Rosselkhoznadzor for the Omsk Region established at customs the fact of transporting canned goods across the border without veterinary accompanying documents. It was reported that, according to the available labelling, the manufacturer of the canned goods was LLP Agrofirm «Aqzhar Ondiris».
LLP NAMED AFTER «ABAY»
Another large landowner in the Pavlodar Region is LLP named after «Abay» (cultivation of cereals and leguminous crops, including seed production). The company has been registered since 1994. The first head and founder of the LLP is Nikolay Miller.
LLP named after «Abay» has a medium degree of risk regarding tax obligations. For 2023, the company has already paid approximately 63.2 million tenge in taxes (in 2022 – 94.4 million tenge, in 2021 – 114.1 million tenge, in 2020 – 97.9 million tenge).
The LLP has more than 40 government contracts, the largest being: in 2019 with the State Institution «Education Department of the Irtysh District» of the Education Department of the Pavlodar Region for services for the transportation of hard and brown coal amounting to 8.1 million tenge, and in 2021 with the State Public Enterprise on the Right of Economic Management «Irtysh District Hospital» of the Healthcare Department of the Pavlodar Region for the supply of brown coal amounting to approximately 19.8 million tenge.
Furthermore, the company provides a range of services, such as communal services (landfilling of waste, snow removal work), premises rental, water supply, etc. It is worth noting that the company has no contracts related to grain crops.
The head and founder, Nikolay Miller, also owns Farm «NAN» and LLP «Experimental Farm Irtyshskoye». LLP named after «Abay» has around 70 court cases, and Nikolay Miller himself has about 14.
LLP «GALITSKOYE»
LLP «Galitskoye» (dairy cattle breeding), which owns approximately 70.7 thousand hectares in the Pavlodar Region, was registered in 1998. The owners of the LLP are Lidiya and Alexander Kasitsyn. Alexander Kasitsyn also owns LLP «Galitskoye i K» and LLP «Kasko Agroservis». Lidiya Kasitsyna has Sole Proprietorship «Kasitsyna L. F.».
The company has a medium degree of risk regarding tax obligations, as well as a VAT debt amounting to 746 thousand tenge. For 2023, the LLP paid approximately 195.8 million tenge in taxes (in 2022 – 320.3 million tenge, in 2021 – 198.8 million tenge, in 2020 – 136.5 million tenge).
The LLP has about 200 government contracts, the largest being: in 2020 and 2023 with the State Public Enterprise «Department of Housing and Communal Services, Passenger Transport, Highways, Construction, Architecture and Urban Planning of the Uspenka District» of the Pavlodar Region for construction work amounting to 28.4 million tenge and 92.9 million tenge, respectively.
Furthermore, the company provides a range of services, such as communal services (heat and water supply, garbage and household waste disposal, etc.), premises rental, product supply, construction work, etc.
In 2019, Farm «BIK» managed through the court to have the lease agreement for a land plot of 4.6 thousand hectares, concluded between the State Institution «Department of Land Relations of the Uspenka District» and LLP «Galitskoye», declared invalid, arguing that the commission had allowed participants whose applications did not meet the requirements to take part in the competition.
In 2021, another similar competition was held, after which the district akim also filed a lawsuit seeking to declare the contracts with the competition winners invalid. The court initially granted the akim's complaint, but later overturned the previous decision.
LLP «AGRO-DAMU»
The fourth largest latifundist in the Pavlodar Region as of 2023 is LLP «Agro-Damu» (cultivation of cereals and leguminous crops, including seed production). The company has been registered since 2010. The first head of the LLP is Ruslan Bukeуev, the founders are: Ruslan Smagulov, Madina Zhakupova. Smagulov also owns LLP «Synergy PV», and LLP «Ekibastas». Madina Zhakupova has Sole Proprietorship Ertis Nan.
LLP «Agro-Damu» has a medium degree of risk regarding tax obligations. For 2023, the company paid approximately 90.6 million tenge in taxes (in 2022 – 115.1 million tenge, in 2021 – 112.8 million tenge, in 2020 – 57 million tenge).
The LLP has more than 40 government contracts. In 2018, the State Institution «Department of Passenger Transport and Highways of the Pavlodar Region» concluded a contract with LLP «Agro-Damu» for the maintenance of the highway Kachiry-Mikhailovka-border of the Russian Federation. The final contract amount was 279.5 million tenge.
Another large contract for LLP «Agro-Damu» was concluded in 2020 with JSC «SPK «Pavlodar» for the supply of 1,000 tonnes of first-grade flour amounting to 108 million tenge. Besides flour supplies, the LLP provides a range of services such as highway maintenance, hay harvesting, and landfilling of waste.
In 2022, due to the sharp rise in flour prices, during an analysis by the Agency for the Protection and Development of Competition (APDC), it was found that throughout 2021 some market entities sold flour at unjustifiably inflated prices. Based on this, the antimonopoly authority issued notices to a number of companies, including LLP «Agro-Damu».
In April 2023, the District State Revenue Department for the Kostanay Region filed a lawsuit in court seeking to declare the contract between LLP «Kazinnovatsiya LTD» and LLP «Agro-Damu» invalid. It was reported that in 2019, LLP «Kazinnovatsiya LTD» sold goods to LLP «Green Food» for over 166.3 million tenge. During the inspection, the authority could not establish the source of origin of the goods.
In court, it was established that the supplier was LLP «Agro-Damu»; however, the necessary documents proving the legality of these transactions were not provided, therefore the transactions were declared invalid.
LLP «AGROEXPORT PAVLODAR»
LLP «AgroExport Pavlodar» (raising of other types of animals), which owns approximately 59.6 thousand hectares in the Pavlodar Region, was registered in 2020. The first head and founder of the company is Kanatbek Uzembayev. Uzembayev is also one of the founders of LLP «Agroexport LTD».
AgroExport Pavlodar has a medium degree of risk regarding tax obligations. For 2023, the LLP paid approximately 2.8 million tenge in taxes (in 2022 – 7.6 million tenge, in 2021 – 26.5 million tenge, in 2020 – 7.9 million tenge).
In 2022, while moving the LLP «AgroExport Pavlodar»'s own livestock, several cows strayed from the herd and fell into a trench dug in the middle of a field. As a result, the LLP incurred losses related to the slaughter of the livestock and the rental of transport for extracting the animals from the pit.
Later, the company intended to recover material damages in court from the land user – LLP «Vector Vision», on whose territory the trench was dug. Representatives of LLP «Vector Vision» stated in court that it was not a trench but watering holes which were legally dug on the territory of their own land plot. The court did not satisfy the claim of LLP «AgroExport Pavlodar».
In 2020, Kanatbek Uzembayev was involved in litigation with his own other company. Being one of the founders of LLP «AgroExport LTD» (25% belonged to Uzembayev, 75% to LLP «Zengi baba-2009»), Uzembayev sent a request to the legal address of the LLP for the provision of information about the activities of this company, particularly data on assets, income, expenses, etc.
However, because the LLP was not located at its legal address, the letter was not received. As a result, Uzembayev filed a lawsuit against LLP «AgroExport LTD» to compel the provision of this information, arguing that as a founder, he had the right to be informed of these details and at least know the actual address of his own LLP.
Furthermore, in the same year, following an extraordinary general meeting of the participants of LLP «AgroExport LTD», a number of decisions regarding the company's activities were adopted. Uzembayev was not satisfied with these results; moreover, he stated that he still had not been provided with the previously requested information, and therefore he turned to court again.
The court granted the claims. However, it appears that Uzembayev was still not kept informed of the company's activities afterwards, as he later similarly sought to compel them to provide information about the activities of LLP «AgroExport LTD» and to annul the results of meetings he had not personally attended.
Regarding the activities of LLP «AgroExport LTD», it became known from open sources that in 2019 the company acted as an operator for the supply of cattle under the state programme «Sybaga». Farm «Akpura» intended to purchase 240 head of Hereford cattle from Russia, paying the operator an advance payment of 126 million tenge.
The remaining amount was to be paid after receiving the first batch of animals. However, LLP «AgroExport LTD» did not deliver the cattle within the timeframe specified in the contract. We previously reported a similar situation that occurred with another farm in the Pavlodar Region.
Let us recall that Farm «Ata – Konys» wanted to acquire breeding cattle from Germany through the state programme. The operator in that case was LLP «Agrogenetiks». However, after transferring the money to the operator, the farm never received the cattle, and the deal turned into litigation. As a result, the Pavlodar farmers were left not only without money and cattle but also with debts.
Unlike Farm «Ata – Konys», the farm «Akpura» managed to receive part of the animals from LLP «AgroExport LTD» 42 days after the contract deadline had expired. Furthermore, the court recovered the remaining debt amount of 50 million tenge.
LLP «POBEDA»
LLP «Pobeda» (cultivation of cereals and leguminous crops, including seed production) was registered in 2008. The first head of the LLP is Vladimir Polyakov, the founders are: Lyudmila Sorokina, Galina Tolmachyova, Larisa Pakhomova, Natalya Polyakova.
The company has a medium degree of risk regarding tax obligations. For 2023, the LLP paid approximately 251.4 million tenge in taxes (in 2022 – 325.3 million tenge, in 2021 – 201.6 million tenge, in 2020 – 167.1 million tenge).
In 2020, LLP «Pobeda» received fines twice totalling 11.1 million tenge in connection with violation of the requirements of the currency legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan when purchasing agricultural machinery from a supplier in Germany.
LLP «KH PAKHAR»
LLP «Kh Pakhar» (cultivation of cereals and leguminous crops, including seed production) was registered since 2014. The founders are: Mikhail Aushev, Magamed Aushev, Ali Aushev.
The Aushev family appears in companies such as LLP «Production Association Metall», LLP «Bratslav-Vostok», LLP «Imeniye», LLP «Trade Export PV» and PA «Chechen-Ingush Ethnocultural Association «Khalk'an Bart» of the Pavlodar Region.
LLP «Kh Pakhar» has a low degree of risk regarding tax obligations. For 2023, the LLP paid approximately 334.9 million tenge in taxes (in 2022 – 475.3 million tenge, in 2021 – 304 million tenge, in 2020 – 109.7 million tenge).
LLP «MTS ZHAIMA»
LLP «MTS Zhaima» (raising of other cattle and buffaloes), occupying 34.1 thousand hectares of agricultural land in the Pavlodar Region, was registered since 2002. The first head is Abukozha Abguzhinov, the founders are: Aigul Berdiyeva, Batyrbek Aldabergenov.
Aldabergenov also appears in LLP «Credit Partnership Asyl» and LLP «Abk Komir». Batyrbek Aldabergenov is a debtor under enforcement proceedings amounting to 131.2 million tenge. His business partner Aigul Berdiyeva is a debtor to JSC «KazAgroFinance» for approximately 130 million tenge.
LLP «MTS Zhaima» has a high degree of risk regarding tax obligations. For 2023, the company paid 10.4 million tenge in taxes (in 2022 – 2.2 million tenge, in 2021 – 5.8 million tenge, in 2020 – 8.4 million tenge).
Furthermore, the LLP itself is also a debtor under enforcement proceedings to a number of legal entities and individuals totalling 321.8 million tenge, has 13 prohibitions from private bailiffs on registration actions starting from 2021, and a tax debt of 412 thousand tenge.
In July 2017, the prosecutor of the Bayanaul District of the Pavlodar Region recovered through the court from LLP «MTS Zhaima» previously unjustifiably paid subsidies amounting to 1.4 million tenge due to the fact that the company submitted an incomplete package of documents when applying.
In February 2019, LLP named after «Abay», which we wrote about earlier, recovered through the court from LLP «MTS Zhaima» debts amounting to 7.1 million tenge for goods previously supplied. In 2020, similarly, LLP «Agrokom Servis» recovered a debt from LLP «MTS Zhaima» for almost 3 million tenge.
Furthermore, in December 2021, a court decision was issued according to which LLP «MTS Zhaima» must pay LLP «Shchelkovo Agrokhim KZ» a debt of 46.6 million tenge. And in January 2022, a sum of 48.6 million tenge was recovered from the company in favour of LLP «Astana-Nan».
In addition to all this, LLP «MTS Zhaima», like the previously mentioned LLP «AgroExport LTD» and LLP «Agrogenetiks», was an operator for the supply of breeding female livestock under the state programme «Sybaga» in 2020, and also gained notoriety.
It became known from open sources that LLP «MTS Zhaima» was supposed to supply an entrepreneur with 60 head of Hereford cattle from North America worth 30 million tenge. However, after the payment was transferred to the operator, one of the owners of LLP «MTS Zhaima», Batyrbek Aldabergenov, disappeared without a trace, and even the police were unable to find him.
A year earlier, 500 head of cattle, which LLP «MTS Zhaima» supposedly imported earlier as an operator, had similarly 'disappeared'. This came to light when the Akim of Ekibastuz decided to personally inspect and show other farmers how the foreign cows were doing. However, the akim was refused a visit, and any information about the animals was carefully concealed.
As the media noted, the investigation by the Akim of Ekibastuz was then harshly suppressed by the Regional Akim, Bulat Bakauov, and the story of the 500 missing cows remained a mystery, as did the whereabouts of Batyrbek Aldabergenov.
LLP «KH «ZHANA-AUL»
LLP «Kh «Zhana-Aul» (raising of other cattle and buffaloes), which owns 38.6 thousand hectares in the Pavlodar Region, was registered since 2015. The first head and founder of the LLP is Kairat Ibrayev.
Kairat Ibrayev is also a participant in organisations such as LLP «Aidabol Kuryls», LLP «Aidabol Company», LLP «Izolstroy», LLP «Asyl Kum», LLP «Betar Asia Trade», LLP «Betaraziya», PF «Olzhabay Batyr Kory» and APC «Koktobe-Agro».
LLP «Kh «Zhana-Aul» has a medium degree of risk regarding tax obligations. For 2023, the LLP paid 2.8 million tenge in taxes (in 2022 – 3.1 million tenge, in 2021 – 8.1 million tenge, in 2020 – 4.3 million tenge).
In November 2019, the farm reported the theft of 40 horses to the police of the city of Ekibastuz. The horses were soon found, and the State Institution «Police Department of the City of Ekibastuz» filed a lawsuit in court, demanding that LLP «Kh «Zhana-Aul» compensate for material damages.
The authorities claimed that due to inaction, negligence and careless attitude of the farm towards its property, police forces and resources were diverted. As a result, costs were incurred for petrol and salaries for police officers. The court did not satisfy the police claim.
In March 2022, the State Revenue Department for the city of Ekibastuz filed a lawsuit in court seeking to declare the transactions of LLP «Kar snabdi» and LLP «KrgSnab» with LLP «Kh «Zhana-Aul» invalid, arguing that the transactions were concluded with violations. As a result, these transactions totalling 15.7 million tenge, in which the recipient was LLP «Kh «Zhana-Aul», were annulled by the court.
LLP «AGRO ONDRYS»
Another major landowner in the Pavlodar Region is LLP «Agro Ondrys» (cultivation of cereals and leguminous crops, including seed production), registered in 2015. The first head and founder of the LLP is Marat Bakauov.
LLP «Agro Ondrys» has a medium degree of risk regarding tax obligations. For 2023, the company paid 34.7 million tenge in taxes (in 2022 – 60.6 million tenge, in 2021 – 60.4 million tenge, in 2020 – 30.6 million tenge).
Marat Bakauov also owns Farm «Bakauov», LLP «Credit Partnership Demeu», LLP «Mynkul», LLP «Agro Ondrys» and the Pavlodar Regional Association of Private Enterprise Subjects «Altyn Dala».
According to information from open sources, Marat Bakauov is the brother of the former Akim of the Pavlodar Region, Bulat Bakauov, who in May 2020 was accused of exceeding official powers and was sentenced to 3.5 years of restricted freedom with a lifelong ban from holding positions in the civil service.
In 2019, the media noted that relatives of the former regional akim also owned companies in the region such as «Zhana Zhuldyz», «Farm Enbek», «Agrariy PV» and «Zhumabek Agro».
Another brother of the former akim – Azamat Bakauov – managed LLP «Mynkul Elevator – PV» for the warehousing and storage of grain. The company was founded in 2012 and ceased its activities in 2018. Over six years of its existence, the LLP did not pay any taxes.
Let us recall that the editorial board of FBRK is analysing the dynamics of the largest land users in Kazakhstan to determine how much agricultural land has been seized from them recently. Having familiarised ourselves with the territories of the Pavlodar Region, it is evident that no global changes in land areas have occurred. Whose interests the work of the CLRM on land seizure serves remains unclear.
Next, we will examine the dynamics of changes in the areas of the largest landowners in a more grain-growing region – the Kostanay Region.
To be continued …